The Wolf Within (Part 4)
by FriendsWithTheMonster
Summary: Sequel to The Wolf Amoung Us: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all… Season 6: Peter Hale/OC
1. Chapter 1

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 1** **:**

The preserve was quiet, _too_ quiet for Sydney's liking, but she wasn't afraid; this was what she was made for, this was what she was good at and no matter how threatened she felt on the inside, she would never show it on the outside. She had a pack to take care of, a pack to lead, and she wasn't going to let anything bad happen to them, they were her family, they were her friends, they were who she lived for.

But being out in the forest all by herself was starting to feel creepy, she didn't like it, she didn't know who, or what, was lurking behind the next turn, yet she couldn't back down. This was her territory to defend, it was hers to protect, and that's exactly what she planned to do, no matter what was out there. She was an alpha werewolf, a damn strong one at that, she could handle nearly anything.

Pausing in the middle of the trail she was on, she bent her knees slightly and whipped her head around, peering over her shoulder and trying to figure out where the threat was. She knew it was out there somewhere, she knew she had to find it and take care of it, but she didn't know exactly where it was, or where it was going to come from if, and when, it decided to attack.

With her ears perked and listening intently, she took a single sidestep towards the forest, moving away from the trail. If she could maybe try to blend in to her surroundings, if she could hide herself long enough to get a lead on the threat, then maybe she could get ahead of it, she could catch it before it had a chance to hurt her, or anyone else for that matter.

Sydney crouched down, her back pressing against the rough bark of one of the larger trees mere feet from the path. She tipped her head up and locked her eyes on the moon, which was glowing bright in the darkened night sky. Inhaling a deep, silent breath, she steeled herself for what she was about to do, what she _had_ to do.

This was on her, she couldn't get anyone else to help her, she didn't _want_ to involve anyone else, this was what she, as an alpha, needed to do.

As swiftly as she could, her back remaining pressed against the tree, she rounded her body so that she could get a better look at what was out there, maybe she'd luck out and catch sight of it, maybe she'd be able to lock her werewolf eyes onto movement of some sort, or maybe she wouldn't be able to locate it at all.

Pressing her lips together, she lifted her hand up, her palm running up the jagged edges of the bark, which coated the trunk of the tree, and she felt her nail catch on a piece of the wood covering. She pulled her hand away and forced out her claws, pressing them into the tree trunk instead, piercing the outer shell.

It was a small victory against the tree, but the small motion had made her feel better almost instantly. She flexed her fingers and peeled her claws out of the bark, then she leaned forward and pressed the tips of her fingers into the ground, feeling for any vibrations traveling through the forest floor.

Cocking her head sideways in confusion, she waited a few seconds, hoping that something, anything, would give her a hint as to where the threat had gone, but there was nothing but absolute stillness surrounding her, paired with complete silence. It was so quiet that she could hear her pounding heart loud and clear, but Sydney wasn't afraid, no.

She was on the hunt and this was something that she was particularly good at.

Slowly and carefully, she rose up to her full height and opened her jaw slightly, her razor sharp canines coming out as she did so. She could feel the pointed tips of her teeth and knew that whatever was out there was no match for her. This was what she had been working for, _this_ was what she had been training for, and nothing was going to stand in her way.

At the distinct sound of a twig cracking, fairly far away too, Sydney's body tensed and she whipped around to the right, taking off in a run.

Tree branches and stray foliage bit at her skin as she darted through the brush. Rocks and anomalies in the forest floor were no match for her long, purposeful strides, and before she realized where she was going, she erupted from the trees, her feet landing right in the middle of the clearing, not too far away from the very Nemeton that had seemed to cause her so much pain in the past.

Sydney stood still, taking in the sight of what was around her. Why would the threat lead her here, why would it have brought her to the one place that so many things wanted to keep hidden away?

She balled her hands into fists at her sides, careful of her claws, and cautiously took a single step forward, moving ever so closer to the so called magical tree stump in her line of sight.

Was this a trap? Was this meant to distract her?

Sydney narrowed her eyes on the visible rings of the tree and brought out her alpha red irises, hoping that they would help her locate exactly what she was looking for. She could feel the pull of the stump but she rolled her shoulders back and twisted her hips, starting to make her way around it instead of towards it.

Focusing on her breathing, she brought in a huge breath of air, let it fill her lungs and then exhaled, even going as far as to let her eyes fall shut, her remaining senses, sound and smell, trying to lock onto the presence of the threat.

Her body went rigid and she dropped to a crouch, planting her hand on the spongey clearing floor before the very threat she had been looking for came flying through the air, barely missing her at all.

Her eyes popped open and she watched as none other than Derek Hale landed on the ground a good ten feet from her, rolling his body so that he came to a crouch position that matched hers. He raised an eyebrow at her and tossed her a knowing smirk.

Oh yeah, it was on now.

Sydney pounced, throwing her body in his direction but he leapt out of the way, her feet planting into the ground before she had a chance to collide with it. She maintained her stance though, turned right around to lock her glowing red eyes on him and she couldn't help but grin at the sight.

He had his own glowing blue eyes out, his teeth were just as sharp as hers and his claws were very evident on his hands, which dangled at his sides, his fingers twitching ever so slightly with anticipation.

"Alpha, Derek, remember that." Sydney called out to him and ran a hand through her hair carefully, pushing it back and out of her face.

"Right Syd, but I'm the one that can go full wolf, remember _that_?" He hollered back at her and she scoffed.

Okay, so maybe he had a point, maybe he was a step above her in the werewolf shifting hierarchy, but that didn't mean she wasn't still a strong, smart, capable individual, plus, she was _the_ alpha, not the other way around. Just because he could make himself shift completely didn't mean he was a better werewolf than her…right?

"Which will be all the more embarrassing for you when you're pinned to the ground with my claws at your throat and you're screaming that I win… _again_." Sydney jeered and took a step to the right, Derek matching her movements as they began to circle each other.

"You're only up by one fight Syd, I'd say we're pretty evenly matched." Derek countered, a knowing smirk on his face.

While it was true that the two of them had been werewolves for the same amount of time, which was all of their lives, he definitely had an advantage growing up. While her grandparents tried to hide her werewolf side for many, many years, his family had embraced it, taught him everything they knew, and Derek was right, they _were_ pretty evenly matched.

And that was what bothered her so much. She wanted to be the best, she wanted to be the clear winner all the time, she wanted to deserve her position as alpha. It wasn't like she had gotten the status in an evenly matched fight, no, she had snuck in, made a deal with the demon wolf and had walked out of there with not only an ally, but a new status within the pack.

Then, when Peter had forfeited his spark to save her life…well, she didn't want to think about it, she didn't want to think about _him_.

There was so much that he didn't know, so much that she wanted to tell him, but he had been gone for far too long and she knew that she wouldn't be able to trust him if and when she laid eyes on him again.

The best she could do was train, to prepare herself for the worst case scenario and build her pack with people that she loved and trusted; after all, she had someone more important to look out for than herself, she had Bruin, tiny little baby Bruin.

"It's so nice to finally have someone challenging to train with." Sydney smiled and tipped her head sideways, making a point of letting her canines return to normal. "I'm glad you decided to stay here."

"Right now it's still on a temporary basis." Derek pointed out. "But I think we make a decent team, plus you've got quite the pack already. The twins, Charlie, hell, even Isaac is doing a lot better than-"

"When you were his alpha." She cut him off, her eyes twinkling. "Yeah, he's a good kid, can't say I was sad to see him move into the loft with you though. God knows I can't deal with two hormone riddled teenagers, especially when I've got my own kid to worry about."

Derek seemed to relax at her words and he raised his hands in surrender, stepping closer to her as he reverted back to his full human form, eyes, teeth and claws disappearing. She matched his movements with her own and when they were standing just a few feet apart, she lowered her gaze to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Bruin's going to be fine." Derek said softly, reaching a hand out and running it over Sydney's bicep in a soothing manner. "I will admit I'm a little concerned about her turning out to be like her father, but you and I both know that no one in your pack will let that happen. I'm here for you, always, even if I'm not physically _here_ for you."

"Yeah but…" She trailed off and brought her eyes up to meet his. "Derek, having you here, having you nearby, it…it seems to calm me. I don't know what I'd do if you left."

"You don't have to worry about that for a while Syd, I'm not going anywhere any time soon." Derek reassured her and she closed the remaining distance between them, tucking herself against his chest as his arms came around her, holding her against him. "You just tell me if there's ever anything I can do to help you. I know I left Beacon Hills once but you're my best friend Syd, I'd do anything for you and Bruin."

She let out a soft sigh and shut her eyes, simply basking in the feeling of having her best friend right there with her. She didn't want him to go, ever, but she knew that the time would come when he'd have to leave. He'd eventually end up with a family of his own, at least that's what she hoped for, and when that time came, she'd let him go.

It would sadden her, it would break her heart, but she knew Derek deserved to be happy, he deserved to have someone to love just like she did and maybe one day he'd have kids of his own, kids that would be best friends with Bruin.

"She adores you." Sydney let out a chuckle at the thought of how easily her baby girl had grown accustomed to Derek being around. "I think it's because you're a Hale."

"That would make sense."

"I should've fallen in love with someone better." She sighed and felt Derek's hold on her tighten ever so slightly. "I wasn't doing anyone any favours when I shacked up with your uncle."

"Well, that's not _entirely_ true. You saved some other oblivious female from getting involved with him. I think women everywhere owe you a thank you." He joked and reluctantly loosened his hold on her. Sydney crossed her arms over her chest and stepped away from him, moving closer and closer to the edge of the forest. "We can hold out hope that one day, maybe Bruin will meet her father and she'll have the capacity to change him."

"I didn't." Sydney argued. "I couldn't change him and I'm-"

"You're not his daughter Syd. Can I tell you a secret?"

She watched Derek carefully as he stepped towards her, his eyes falling to the ground as he moved. She watched him as his shoulders relaxed, she watched him as he sauntered away from the Nemeton, hell, she could tell in his walk that he seemed more at home than he had in a long while.

He was comfortable here, he was comfortable with her and her pack, and he was comfortable with Bruin. Derek was a life saver, he was just what she needed at the time, and she wasn't about to just let him walk out of her life as quickly as he had walked into it.

"I saw the way Peter looked at you, I saw the way he was _with_ you. Syd, as much as you don't think you changed him, I'd be inclined to disagree. I've never seen that man love anything other than himself, but the way he looked at you…if anyone stands a chance at getting him to change, it's you and that little girl back at the house."

Sydney nodded her head in understanding and hoped that Derek was right. As much as she wanted to believe that he was a changed man, she knew that there had been a time when he had chosen power over her, and lost both. The last time she had laid eyes on the man was the night that he had been dropped off at Eichen House.

He had never met Bruin, he hadn't even known about the possibility of her existence, and he didn't have any chance to meet her. Peter Hale, as far as Sydney was concerned, was a selfish bastard who deserved everything he got.

But that didn't mean she didn't still love him with almost everything she had.

"If I ever see him again, I'm going to beat him to within an inch of his life." Sydney murmured.

"Good, I thought that's what we were always training for." Derek let out a chuckle and she shook her head in amusement.

"You got jokes now Derek." She snorted but it wasn't hard to see that his plan had worked. She was laughing right along with him, thankful that she had a friend like Derek in her life.

"Come on, why don't we head on back to your place, I wouldn't mind seeing my adorable little cousin Bruin."

"Yeah." She nodded. "Still getting used to that…you and her technically being cousins…"

"Me too Syd."

She extended her hand towards him and he threaded his fingers between hers, holding it tight. She started to move back towards the edge of the brush, Derek following her lead as she moved. She straightened up just before stepping into the overgrown forest and turned back to take one last look at the haunting image of the Nemeton.

She took in a deep breath through her nose and felt her entire body tense up. Her muscles started to cramp and her stomach began to knot, everything in her insides throbbing at the scent.

She let go of Derek's hand and doubled over, wrapping her arms around her and trying desperately to keep herself upright. This wasn't right, no, something was wrong, something was oh so very wrong.

"Syd?" He moved to stand next to her and set his hand on her back, drawing out any pain that he could, but his veins didn't turn black, they didn't change at all. Whatever was hurting her wasn't something that he could take away.

"It's…" She struggled to get the word out and she opened her mouth, fighting with her lungs to get oxygen into them. When she finally managed to suck in a deep breath, she felt her entire body relax at the feeling and within seconds she was back up to her full height, a determined look on her face. "Derek…"

"What is it Syd?" He pressed, his voice calm even though she knew he was thrown off by the whole ordeal. "Are you good? Do I need to call the twins or-"

"No." She shook her head, cutting him off and lifting her hand up, pressing her palm against her chest, directly over her heart, which was pounding so hard she feared it might explode. "Derek…I think…"

"What Syd?" Derek leaned in towards her and offered her his hand, the very hand that had been on her back. She gently pushed it away and tipped her head back, her eyes staring at the dimming sky above her.

It couldn't be, now, of all times…no…it wasn't fair, it just _wasn't_ fair.

"I think…" She trailed off again and sniffed the air, letting the all too familiar scent settle in her nose.

"Syd." Derek said, this time a little more firmly than before.

"Peter." She whispered.

Before Derek had a chance to say another word, Sydney broke out into a run, her entire body disappearing as she headed into the forest.

All he could do was follow her and hope that everything would be okay.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Well, here's the start to season 6, let me know what you guys thought about it, pretty please?_**


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 2** **:**

"What…" Sydney peered up at the front door of her home and narrowed her eyes. She had been out in the woods not minutes earlier with Derek and here she was standing at the base of the porch stairs.

Had she left Derek alone in the woods? Had he told her he had somewhere else to be? Had he-

"Syd!?" Derek's voice called out from behind her and she dropped her eyes to her feet, looking at the toes of her shoes as she tried desperately to recall what had happened to her in the last few minutes. Why was she out in the woods to start with and what exactly had brought her back to the house? "Syd, why'd you take off?"

"I don't…" Sydney shook her head and backtracked, moving away from the house. She turned on her feet and stepped closer to Derek, inhaling his familiar scent and feeling her body relax at the smell. A scent, is that what brought her home, but if that was the case, then who's scent was it? "I don't know."

"You okay?" Derek pressed and lifted a hand up, extending it out to her and resting his palm on her bicep. She peered down at where his hand rested on her arm and blew out a frustrated sigh.

Something didn't feel right, something was off. She couldn't remember why she had come home and she had no idea why she had left Derek when they were clearly in the middle of something, something they were doing _together_. Yet Derek didn't seem too concerned about why she had taken off, which begged all sorts of questions, questions that she didn't know the answers to.

"I'm fine." Sydney answered and took a step closer to him, forcing his hand away from her as she eliminated the distance between their bodies. She leaned into his chest and felt his arms close around her back, all the while she slipped hers around his middle and held him tight against her.

She didn't want to let go of him, something about his scent seemed to calm her, and calm was just what she needed considering she was so confused and muddled up. What the hell had been going down before she had ventured home?

"Good, because you've got company coming your way." Derek teased, his tone light. She knew he was trying to help her feel better, and she appreciated it, she really did, but there was still the fact of the matter that nagged at the back of her mind.

Something had brought her home, something had drawn her out of the woods, she just didn't know _what_.

"Company?" Sydney cocked her head sideways and reluctantly peeled herself away from Derek, putting space between their bodies. She hated moving away from him, but what other choice did she have? Just because she felt relaxed around Derek didn't mean she could stay glued to him for the rest of her life, right? "Is that… _Stiles_?"

Her eyes followed the road in front of her house and she spotted the beat up old clunker of a jeep moving quickly along the pavement. Had she invited him here, was this the reason that she had come home, because she had company coming over?

She couldn't recall talking to Stiles that morning, nor could she remember asking him to come over, but then again, Charlie went to high school with him, it was very possible that her beta had been contacting Stiles.

When the jeep came to a stop at the end of driveway, Sydney jogged over to it, Derek following her, before coming to a stop next to the jeep. Stiles quickly clambered out, dropping his feet to the ground before clumsily reaching back and slamming his door shut. She looked him over and tilted her head to the side, inhaling a deep breath and letting his scent settle into her nose.

Nope, this wasn't the reason she had come home, no, Stiles wasn't the type of person to draw her out, especially not when she was with Derek…but what had they been doing?

"I guess it's breakfast time." Derek mumbled and turned to head towards the house, leaving Sydney alone in the driveway with Stiles. She stole a look at Derek as he disappeared inside the front door, then she turned her attention to Stiles and took her bottom lip in between her teeth, contemplating asking him what on earth he was doing at her house so early in the morning.

Did it have something to do with the supernatural?

Oh god she hoped not. It had been way too long since something involving the supernatural had interrupted her schedule and Sydney had grown used to spending day after day in peace with her daughter, and her pack.

But Stiles didn't always bring bad news, no, there were times when he showed up simply to talk to her. What it was about them, she didn't totally understand, but she knew that there was a collective theory throughout her pack that maybe Stiles was her emissary.

"Hi." Sydney greeted him and lifted her hand up, giving him a lame little wave. "You're just in time for breakfast."

Stiles looked over at the house, then back at her, before shaking his head and sucking in a breath. Okay, whatever had brought him here definitely wasn't good, but that didn't mean that it was something to worry about. Stiles often had some pretty out there things to say, it didn't always mean it spelled danger for the rest of them.

"Last night…" Stiles began but trailed off, his eyes looking back at the house. She waved him forward and led the way, walking up the front path, mounting the steps to the porch and wandering inside, pausing only to make sure he was inside before shutting the door behind him. "Last night…my dad called Scott down to the sheriff's station, he uh, he wanted him to see into this kid's memories."

"Okay." Sydney prompted, encouraging him to go on. Stiles hesitated and stepped into the kitchen. She followed his lead and stole a look around the room, taking note that Bruin was perched on Aidan's lap while Ethan worked at the stove cooking up eggs and frying up bacon.

Charlie was seated at the table, Isaac in the chair next to her, the two of them were apparently working on some sort of homework that Charlie had. Derek was standing in front of the fridge, searching the contents for something to drink, yet something felt wrong.

This was her pack, she trusted them all with her life, but there was something gnawing at her gut, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.

"I uh, there was a kid…a kid that said he was attacked out on the road. Scott went into his memories, he did the claw trick and tried to help him remember, to maybe see what happened, but it…we didn't get much, we just know that this kid doesn't know where his parents are, just that they were attacked and now they're gone."

Sydney lowered herself down into one of the vacant chairs at the kitchen table, waving at Stiles to take a seat of his own. Once the teenager was sitting in the chair next to Sydney, she set her one elbow on the table and rested her chin against her hand, looking at him, giving him her undivided attention.

"Someone or something stole this kid's parents?" Sydney quipped.

"It's starting to look that way."

"Did you want me to send the twins out, maybe they can find a trail or something?" She offered, peering over at Aidan, who gave a nod of agreement. Ethan didn't make a move to object, but she knew that he would do anything if it helped her out. "Derek can go with them-"

"When we checked out the car that his parents were taken from, the windshield was shot out, but with a gun, a _gun_ Syd." Stiles carried on.

"A supernatural gun?" Sydney pressed. "I mean, this is sort of starting to sound like your dad's jurisdiction, not that I'm complaining about the fact that you're here, talking to me about this."

"Yeah, she loves your company." Charlie piped up, pausing in her homework to shoot Stiles a smile.

"Some of us can't possibly figure out why." Isaac muttered, Stiles shooting him a stare while Sydney fought back a scoff. Right, well, she still didn't totally understand why Isaac and Stiles were so against each other, but it made for some decent entertainment some days.

"That's the thing, all the other cars in the lot with shots to the windshield, well, they were still intact. There was just a bullet hole, but this one, this car's glass, it was shot right out." Stiles explained. "See, something's not right, but I can't…I can't prove that it has anything to do with the supernatural."

"This is Beacon Hills we're talking about." Derek interrupted and moved over towards the table, setting the carton of orange juice on the surface in front of Sydney. "I think chances are good that _something_ supernatural is going on, even if it has been a few months."

"That's what I said!" Stiles chirped and Sydney shook her head at him in amusement. "Everyone else seems totally unconcerned-"

"Right, well, I'm always up for an adventure." Sydney replied. "You just tell me where and when."

Stiles nodded his head in understanding and Sydney leaned back in the chair, taking in a deep, relaxing breath. Without having to ask, Aidan made his way to his feet, Bruin squirming in his hold, and made his way over to Sydney, offering her up her daughter.

As soon as Bruin was in Sydney's hold, her tiny body cradled against her chest, Bruin calmed down and settled in, her eyes falling shut as she curled into her hold. Stiles looked the two of them over and smiled, taking in the sight of mother and daughter, all the while Sydney pressed sweet little kisses against the girl's head.

"I still can't believe you have a kid." Stiles remarked with a shake of his head.

"I know." Sydney chuckled in agreement.

"She's a great mom." Charlie piped up, not even bothering to tear her eyes away from her homework. "It's not _that_ hard to believe."

Sydney let out another chuckle and ran her hand over Bruin's head, letting her nuzzle her nose against her neck. Letting out a soft sigh, Sydney sucked in a breath and looked over at Stiles, who was staring at them, a confused expression on his face.

"Hey, maybe I forgot, but did you ever tell me who Bruin's father is?" Stiles asked, Sydney opening her mouth to respond but no words came.

She furrowed her eyebrows and slowly closed her lips, thinking deeply about the answer to his question. Who _was_ Bruin's father? Who had she had unprotected sex with and wound up pregnant? And where was he _now_?

What the hell? What the hell was going on and why didn't she know the answer?

"Whoever he is, he's got great genes." Derek teased and smiled at the tiny little girl. "She's too precious."

"Seriously Syd, who's her dad?" Stiles echoed his question and Sydney shook her head, not entirely sure how to answer him. She didn't know who Bruin's dad was and she had no idea where to even start to figure it out, hell that wasn't normal, right?

Even if Bruin had been conceived by accident, surely Sydney wouldn't have forgotten the man who had given her the adorable little girl in her hold.

She should've known, right? She shouldn't have had to think about it and she certainly shouldn't have drawn a blank, but that's exactly what was happening.

"Bruin Hale." Charlie supplied and paused in her movements. She straightened up and looked over at her alpha, a smile on her face. "That should help narrow it down, right?"

"Derek?" Sydney peered up at her friend but he simply raised his hands in the air and shook his head no. "You don't have any brothers or anything do you?"

Derek paused to think before shaking his head no too, "not that I know of; just sisters."

"Syd, really?" Stiles piped up. "You don't know who your kid's father is?"

Sydney sucked in a breath and shook her head no, more embarrassed than anything. What kind of a mother didn't know her baby's dad?

As much as Sydney wanted to know, she'd have to figure something out because she was going to get to the bottom of it, if it was the last thing she ever did.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"You sure you're okay?" Derek quipped, taking a seat on the couch next to Sydney.

She had a sleeping Bruin in her arms, the baby resting her head against Sydney's chest, and no matter how hard or how long she thought about where her baby had come from, she couldn't put a name to Bruin's father, or a face, or…well, or anything. Bruin wasn't made without a man, she knew that much, but in her head, there was no one.

What had happened? Who had Sydney slept with to wind up with a baby?

Did she care about them? Was it a one-time thing, was it an accident? Had she intended to get pregnant or was it a total fluke?

She could remember not wanting children, but that was a long time ago, and certainly her views could've changed, but who had been the person to change them? Who had been the guy who had persuaded her that maybe having a child wasn't so bad?

And if that was the case, where was this guy now?

"Bruin Hale." Sydney stated softly, as if that was all the answer that Derek needed. "Her last name is Hale, _why_ is her last name Hale? Why isn't it Vance?"

"I'm not the person to ask." Derek offered with a shrug, leaning in closer to Sydney and running his hand down the slumbering Bruin's back.

"Kind of, I mean…Derek, you sort of are the person to talk to." Sydney countered and turned her head to face him. "Your last name is Hale, _her_ last name is Hale, so in conclusion, you're the only person who can really help me figure out why she is Bruin Hale and not Bruin Vance. You have to know of some other man in your family Derek, there has to be _someone_."

She was nearing a pleading tone but Derek held firm. He didn't budge, he didn't make a move to respond, no, he merely looked back at her, studying her lost expression. What could he possibly say to her to get her to understand that he had no idea who Bruin's father was? As far as he knew, the only other male Hales in his family had been killed in the fire.

"Maybe you just really like Hale as a last name." Derek suggested with a small smirk. "It's a nice name."

"Seriously," she blew out a frustrated breath, "why would her last name be Hale, unless there was someone in your family who was her dad? I'm a Vance-"

"I don't know Syd." Derek matched her frustration with a sigh of his own. "I'm drawing a total blank, and it's not like we can go take a look through the family photo albums- they were all destroyed in the fire."

"I know." Sydney tipped her head back slowly and peered upwards at the ceiling. She sucked in a breath and tried desperately to put her finger on the man who had helped her create the little girl in her hold.

She loved Bruin with everything she had, she was her little girl, but there was something missing, a piece of the puzzle that didn't fit, she just didn't know what it was. How could she forget the person that had helped to give her the most wonderful daughter she ever could've imagined?

Shaking her head, Sydney sunk into the couch a little further and peered over at Derek, a pleading look in her eyes. He offered her another shrug and leaned over, slipping his arm around her back and closing the distance between them. He pressed a gentle kiss against the top of Bruin's head and settled in, getting comfortable on the couch next to his best friend.

Her mind continued to reel, her thoughts ran ramped as she considered all the possibilities of how Bruin had come to exist. She ran through a mental list of as many of the men she had been with that she could think of, but it didn't make a difference. Bruin's last name was Hale, and unless she happened upon a different bloodline of Hales, then Sydney was stumped.

"Have you tried google?" Derek quipped and Sydney let out a soft groan, recalling when she had used that as a decent suggestion for how to cure Cora when she had been sick. "I here it's pretty good for finding answers."

"I have _not_ tried that yet." Sydney countered and sucked in a breath, letting Derek's familiar scent calm her nerves. "I guess I could try that, but what would I even google?"

"Wait!" Derek straightened up next to her and his eyes lit up, the smile on his face widening. Apparently whatever had hit him had hit him hard and maybe this was it, maybe this was what they needed in order to figure out who Bruin's dad was. "You have her birth certificate, right?"

"Uh," Sydney rocked her head back and forth as she tried to remember exactly where she had put it, "yes, I think it's up in my room."

"Would that not have her dad's name on it?" Derek remarked and Sydney's lips curled upwards too, clearly catching on to his brilliant idea. Yes, yes this was perfect, why hadn't she thought of it earlier.

It could've saved her so much confusion, so much worrying, if she had just thought to check the birth certificate belonging to her daughter.

Derek peeled himself away from Sydney and made his way to his feet, reaching out so that Sydney could hand him Bruin. When the tiny little girl was securely grasped against his chest, Sydney rose up to her feet and led the way up the stairs, Derek following her, matching her step for step.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Sydney headed right for her room and flipped the light on, making her way over towards the dresser against the wall. She pulled the top drawer open and spotted a small group of important documents before grabbing them, pulling the stack out and flipping through, looking for Bruin's birth certificate.

"How come I can't remember?" Sydney asked softly and gave her head a little shake, hoping that maybe the motion would rattle her brain enough so that she could pull herself together and remember. "Derek, I don't feel right."

"Like something's missing?" Derek suggested, lowering his butt down to sit on the end of her bed. Bruin moved the tiniest little bit but didn't wake up, much to Derek's delight. "Weird things happen Syd, it sort of comes with the territory of being a werewolf."

Sydney nodded her understanding and continued to pillage through the stack of documents. When her fingers finally located the one she was looking for, she scanned her eyes over the paper and read over the information that was on it. Okay, well, her name was listed as being Bruin's mother but the spot for the father's name was just…it was blank.

There was no one listed, not a mark on the document, which only served to make Sydney feel uneasy. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to remember the name that _could_ have been put there, but nothing came to mind.

Why was this so hard, why was she having such a problem remembering who Bruin's father was?

Had she been _that_ reckless?

"I feel so stupid though." Sydney confessed with a soft sigh. "I mean, what sort of person can't even remember the guy that knocked her up?"

"Maybe…maybe someone stole your memory." Derek offered up and Sydney's eyes widened.

Yes! That was a reasonable explanation, someone could've stolen her memory, someone could've taken away the identity of her baby daddy.

Wait though, if that _was_ the case, then who would do something like that, who would have anything to gain from stealing a memory such as that?

"You think so?" Sydney murmured, running her finger along the edge of the birth certificate. "You really think that someone could've stolen my memories of whoever Bruin's dad is?"

"Why not?" Derek replied, trying to keep her thinking positively. "I mean sure it's a little out there, and it seems like a lot of effort, but if there's someone who has something to hide, I don't see why they couldn't have stolen your memories…do you?"

Sydney shrugged, "I guess it makes sense."

"Right." Derek gave her a nod.

"But I still want to know."

"I figured. Well…maybe there's a way to remember, maybe we can figure something out?"

Sydney let out a soft sigh, set the pile of papers back in the top drawer and shut it gently. She moved across the room and lowered her butt down to the bed, sitting next to Derek and running her hand over the back of Bruin's head before letting out a soft sigh.

He nudged her with his elbow and forced a smile onto his face. She trusted Derek, she knew that when he said things like 'we can figure something out' that he'd give her everything he had in an attempt to help her remember who Bruin's father was. He wouldn't give up on her, he wouldn't let Bruin live her life without knowing, he would be there for the two of them for however long they needed him.

She adored having him in Beacon Hills with them, even if he had taken up residence in his old loft. It was still better than not knowing where he was, and not being able to get into contact with him, at least if he was here with her, she didn't have to worry about him getting into trouble.

"Come on, let's head back downstairs, maybe chill out a little bit, we could do some training if you want." Derek suggested, Sydney letting out a small laugh at the idea of fighting against Derek. She loved to spar with him, she loved training with him, she just loved having Derek by her side.

"Maybe later." Sydney chuckled and stood up, Derek following her lead.

Before she had a chance to get out the bedroom door though, her phone went off in her pocket, the vibrations moving against her hip. Sydney shot Derek an apologetic look and dug her cell out, answering it without even bothering to check the caller ID.

Derek leaned back on the bed and laid down, Bruin remaining on his chest as she continued to slumber. He turned his head to just barely see Sydney out of the corner of his eye and as he watched her, he couldn't help but wonder if this is where he was supposed to be.

Was Sydney supposed to be his alpha, was he supposed to be a part of her pack?

"Stiles?" Sydney's voice cut into his thoughts and Derek rolled his eyes, knowing that whatever the human on the other end of the line had to say wasn't going to be good, for either of them.

Ever since he had arrived in Beacon Hills, Derek had felt a sort of obligation to help Sydney out, especially when it came to Bruin. Did that have anything to do with the fact that the little girl's last name was Hale? And why couldn't Derek think of who the father was either?

He hadn't wanted to voice his concerns with his earlier theory that someone had stolen her memories, hell, if someone had stolen _her_ memories, they must've stolen his too, because he had no idea who Bruin's father was. And what about Charlie, or the twins- no one seemed to have any idea who fathered Sydney's child.

"Slow down Stiles!" Sydney demanded and set her free hand against her hip. "You need me to meet you somewhere? Is that what this is about? Scott doesn't want to help you because he's already missed too much school so I'm the next best bet, is that right?"

"Syd?" Derek sat up and cradled Bruin against his chest, wondering if when she woke up, would she be hungry and grumpy? "I can go with you, we can get Aidan to watch Bruin."

Sydney lifted her finger up, signaling for Derek to give her one more minute. He knew she wasn't going to turn Stiles down, hell, back in the day when he was the alpha of Beacon Hills, he would've helped Stiles too- wait, he had been the alpha, he _had_ been an alpha, but who…who had he stolen the alpha spark from?

How had he managed to become an alpha? Had he killed someone to get to that point or had something happened, something like Scott being a true alpha?

"Okay Stiles, text me the address, Derek and I can be there in like twenty minutes." Sydney said, Derek moving so that he was standing at the end of the bed. She spoke to Stiles for a few more minutes before pulling the phone away from her ear and ending the call. She then looked over at Derek and sucked in a long, deep breath.

Sydney didn't say a word as she marched out of the bedroom, leaving Derek alone with Bruin in Sydney's bedroom. He stayed back for a few seconds before following her lead; he'd definitely need a little while longer of peace before shit hit the fan.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Author's note: what do you guys think so far?_**

 ** _Special thank yous go out to everyone who added this story to their alert list and their favourite lists._**

 ** _A huge thank you to those of you that left reviews!_**

 ** _Any questions, concerns, comments, feel free to let me know_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 3** **:**

Climbing out of the passenger seat of Derek's car, Sydney let the door close and took an appreciative glance at the Camaro. While it wasn't the same as the one he had once had, it was definitely similar enough for her and she couldn't help but smile at the thought that Derek was maybe getting back into the groove of being in Beacon Hills.

He seemed to like hanging out with her, he was really good with Bruin and liked spending time with the tot, so maybe it wasn't too farfetched of an idea to think that Derek belonged in her pack.

He brought experience, as well as a wealth of knowledge, plus the Hale name held a lot of relevance within the supernatural world, how could she not pull for him to become a permanent fixture in her pack, or her life? But the fact of the matter was, Bruin's last name was the same as his, but no one that she knew had any idea why.

Charlie knew even less about the Hales than she did and the twins, while they were getting really good at snooping out information- well, she knew that they had a lot on their plates, and so long as Bruin was safe, what did they really need to concern themselves with?

"You sure this is the place?" Derek questioned, walking around to the front of his car and coming to a stop near the driver's side headlight. Sydney closed in on him and leaned her butt against the hood of the car, nudging Derek with her elbow and studying the old, decrepit house that stood before them.

It didn't look all that nice from the outside, but she was well aware that looks could be deceiving. Maybe it was nicer inside, although her previous adventures into old looking, almost abandoned houses, taught her to be careful.

She could recall the night that she had wandered into the basement of an old dwelling to find Parrish nearly dead and leaning against the wall. That hadn't sat well with her, but what was she supposed to do? Parrish was alive, he was fine, and if she hadn't shown up when she did- she didn't like to think about it. Losing Jordan Parrish, the thought of him not being a part of her life, no matter how big or small, bothered her.

The deputy was a nice guy, he was useful, he was strong, he was smart, hell, if she hadn't had…wait, why _wasn't_ she dating him? It was obvious that he was crushing on her a little bit, but surely she turned him down for a reason, right? But what _was_ the reason?

Was whoever Bruin's father was- was he someone important to her, was he someone that she would choose over Jordan Parrish?

Sydney let out a soft sigh, lifted her phone up and glanced at the text message that Stiles had sent her, the very text message that contained the address of where he wanted them to meet him. She matched the number in the text with the number on the house, then peered down the street slightly to see if she couldn't spot the name. When she locked her eyes on the street sign, she knew that this was where Stiles wanted them to go, but maybe there was a typo, maybe there was a mistake on his end.

"This is what the text says." Sydney answered, pushing herself off the hood of the car. She peered down the street again and listened as a puttering engine slowly grew louder. Huh, well, that was definitely the unmistakable sound of Stiles' beat up old jeep, and when the vehicle came into view, she rolled her eyes at the sight.

Not that she was all that concerned about his education, but part of her wondered why he wasn't in school. Was this little adventure more important than science class? She rolled her shoulders back and stepped even further away from Derek's car, tucking her phone into her pocket and waiting for the jeep to come to a stop.

"Guess this is the right place." Derek muttered and followed her lead, coming up to stand just behind her. Sydney peered over her shoulder and shot him a soft smile, knowing that he didn't owe her anything. If he hadn't wanted to be here, he easily could've stayed back at the house with Bruin, or even gone home, to his loft, to be alone.

But he _was_ here, he was backing her up, and for that, she was extremely thankful. No matter what would come their way, she was glad that Derek was on her side.

"Hey!" Sydney called out to the boys in the jeep and before she knew it, it came to a stop and Stiles turned it off, silence falling over them. Stiles hopped down from the driver's side and slammed his door shut, quickly walking towards Scott and offering his friend a flashlight.

"Yo!" Stiles hollered back at her and she fought off the urge to shake her head. "Glad that you decided to join us."

"Why exactly are we here anyways?" Derek piped up, crossing his arms over his chest and leveling a slight glare on Stiles.

"You didn't have to come." Sydney murmured and took a step forward, moving to stand behind Stiles with the hopes that he would lead the way. It wasn't that she was scared, but Stiles was rarely afraid of doing things, she just preferred to be his back up, and not the ring leader of a group of people committing crimes.

The four of them paused, Stiles studying the house in front of them. If he saw what she saw, then boy were they in for a hell of a fright. It looked abandoned, like there hadn't been anyone living in the place in a long, long time. But why exactly were they here? What _did_ Stiles need their help with?

"That's not creepy at all." Stiles remarked casually, sarcasm lacing his tone. Sydney lifted her hand up and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, then she waited for him to step forward, each boy with a flashlight in their hands.

She shot Derek a look and he raised both of his eyebrows at her before falling in step behind her. He wasn't going to venture too far away from her and she was appreciative of that, even just having Derek tag along made her feel better, made her feel more comfortable.

Wandering up the pebbled stones of the walkway, and then mounting the sketchy wooden steps of the front porch, Sydney planted her hands on her hips and watched in awe as Stiles wrapped his hands around the handle of the front door. He squeezed it down and pushed it forward, the door floating open under its own weight, creaking as it moved.

Scott was the first one inside, Stiles right behind him. Before Sydney could step over the threshold, Derek reached out and set his palm against her bicep, holding her in place long enough so that he could get in front of her. Huh, she wasn't going to question him on it at that moment but she definitely filed his actions away for discussion purposes later.

Did he not think she could handle herself or was it more of a motion to protect his alpha, but _was_ she his alpha? Did Derek Hale consider Sydney his alpha, or would he choose to be an omega over joining her pack, her pack which consisted of reformed murderers, who had killed two out of three of Derek's initial betas?

"Who's house _is_ this?" Sydney asked in a low tone and stepped into the house, taking a look around at the vacant first floor. For as far as she could see, there wasn't much left within the walls, which only served to bring up more questions.

Who lived here, or maybe a better question was who _had_ lived here? Were the owners of the house still alive or was this a case of finding a lead in a murder?

She shook her head and sucked in a breath, trying to feel out any lingering scents, but there wasn't much of anything. There was no blood, no fresh human odours, hell, the place was just empty.

Stepping in further, she turned to the right and moved slowly behind Derek, making sure to keep him in front of her. She locked her eyes on a table, a table that was set, glasses adorning the surface, as well as a couple plates, yet they were covered in dust. Whoever had been at the table last was long gone.

"You want to split up?" Scott asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them as they all took some time to look around. Stiles brought his attention to Scott for a split second before stealing a glance at Sydney, who raised her hands up.

"Uh, absolutely not." Stiles responded, peering back at Scott. Sydney had given him what she was hoping was a reassuring smile. She didn't want to split up any more than he did, even though she was a strong, capable alpha. Yes, she would've said the same thing, she wouldn't have wanted to step a foot further in this house without someone by her side. What good was splitting up anyways? Were they in some sort of a hurry, did they need to find something quick?

Nope, not that she knew of, so why couldn't they just wander around the house in one big group at their own leisurely pace? It definitely seemed like the right idea to her.

"Do you smell anything?" Sydney posed, setting her sights on Derek, who took a quick second to inhale a few deep breaths before shaking his head no.

"I don't smell _anything,_ at all." Derek answered and let Sydney move closer to him, wrapping her hands around his arm and holding on to him tightly. Something wasn't right with this house, something didn't _feel_ right. She couldn't put her finger on what it was though and thus she was reduced to holding onto Derek for comfort.

He didn't seem to object, in fact, Derek leaned slightly into her hold, potentially feeling the same unease that she did. The two of them were going to stick together, they weren't going to split up, no matter what, and for that Sydney was grateful. The idea of walking around this old, creepy house by herself made her stomach knot up.

Scott and Stiles stepped forward, venturing even further into the house. Derek hesitated for a split second before following them, not daring to let the two teenage boys get too far ahead. Sydney stuck right with Derek, even tightening her grip on his arm as they approached the stairs that were tucked against the wall in the next room over.

She looked up them, taking in another deep inhale and trying to pinpoint a scent. If she could just lock onto _something_ , then she'd feel even the slightest bit better about being in some random, creepy old house. As a faint, barely trackable, scent floated into her nose, she stiffened and dug her fingers into Derek's arm, causing him to flinch from the unexpected pressure.

He didn't make a sound though, remaining silent as Scott and Stiles led the way up the stairs, each movement causing an uncomfortable squeaking noise to echo through the empty house. She continued to take in deep whiffs of air, hoping that the scent would grow stronger, and it was, but just the tiniest little bit. Whoever, or whatever, she had locked on to, wasn't very strong at all.

"This is so sketchy." Sydney whispered, Derek glancing at her over his shoulder and giving her a nod of agreement. "Sorry I brought you into this."

"Nope, I wanted to come." Derek countered. "Well, maybe _wanting_ to come is a stretch, but I definitely wasn't going to let you come here on your own."

"Well thanks." She bowed her head and let her eyes fall shut, taking in one more giant inhale. She could make out the smell of a younger person, male even, but that was about as far as she could get. She loosened her grip on Derek's arm and the two of them continued to follow Scott and Stiles as they made it to the top of the stairs and took a few steps down the hallway.

The scene upstairs matched that of the one downstairs and with each and every room that they passed, Sydney made a mental note that there was absolutely no furniture, there weren't even any trinkets left lying around, it was all just _empty_. The more she peered around, taking in the sight of the house that she was in, the more she was reminded of the night that she had happened upon Parrish's barely conscious form.

Was some threat lingering around the next corner, waiting for its chance to strike? Were the four of them in some kind of danger that they weren't expecting?

Sydney forced her canine teeth to come to sharp points and she prepared herself to bring out her claws if necessary. Derek seemed to follow her lead, most likely thinking the same as her. She could see the faint blue glow from his eyes as they reflected in the dusty glass of the windows.

Right, yes, they were werewolves, they were capable of fighting off threats, they were deadly when they needed to be, plus they had Scott. Three werewolves and an incredibly smart human would be a match for almost anything that awaited them in this particular house.

Stiles paused, looking into one of the vacant rooms along the upstairs hallway. He let out a soft sigh and Sydney removed one hand from Derek's arm, clenching her fingers into a fist in case something jumped out at them. She figured she would've smelled anything threatening but again, this house was weird, it made her feel awkward. She wasn't going to take any chances, plus, who knew what sort of supernatural creatures lurked out there?

Surely there was some sort of creature that could mask its scent, right?

"Maybe Alex got the address wrong." Scott remarked as he too peered around the empty room.

"Who's Alex?" Derek asked, and Sydney could hear it in his voice that he was as on edge as she was.

"This kid… _the_ kid who was attacked, the kid who's parents are gone." Stiles answered and Sydney nodded her understanding. Okay, so this visit to the house was somehow connected to the incident that Stiles had spoken to them about at breakfast.

Were they looking _for_ Alex's parents or were they simply looking for a lead? Why exactly were they in the house and how much longer was Stiles going to want to stick around and look?

Sydney opened her mouth to speak but Stiles turned away from the empty room and took a few more steps down the hallways.

"You really think Alex got his own address wrong?" Derek piped up but didn't make a move to follow the two teenagers.

"Or he lied." Stiles countered.

"Why would he lie?" Scott quipped.

Sydney gave Derek a gentle nudge and he took a few steps forward, following Stiles as he closed in on the last visible door in the hallway. Stiles didn't make a move to answer his best friend, instead, he walked up to the door, set his hand on the handle and gave it a slow twist, Sydney hearing the door click open.

It creaked much the same as the front door but tucked away behind it wasn't just a vacant room, no, this one was filled with the usual things found in a bedroom. There was a bed, which was made, the walls were vibrant colours, a nice change from the drab and dusty walls of every other room in the house.

Hell, there was a chest at the foot of the bed and pictures tacked to the walls. Sydney sucked in a breath and let the child's scent fill her head. Okay, this was more normal, this was what she was expected to smell as soon as she walked in the door, yet, it was only in this one room.

"He didn't lie." Stiles pointed out.

Why was everything else in the house worn and weathered, yet this one room remained almost untouched?

She let out a frustrated sigh and crept into the room, daringly pulling herself away from Derek. She didn't let him out of her sight though as she walked around, running her finger along the kid's dresser, then his desk. Her eyes locked on the pictures stuck to the cork board on the wall near his desk.

"Why didn't the cops say anything about this?" Scott pressed.

"They don't know it's here. They can't come here without a warrant, and there's no owner of record to serve a warrant to so, unless there's some kind of threat or imminent danger, they wouldn't come in." Stiles explained.

"This room is…it's untouched." Sydney pointed out and got a little closer to the pictures on the wall. She made a move to reach out and touch the one photo but a noise from downstairs caught her attention instead.

She turned to face Derek, who was on alert too, then she peered at Scott, who was looking sideways at the door that they had just come through.

"The hell?" Sydney mumbled and back stepped away from the cork board. She forced her claws to come out and tipped her head to the side.

"What?" Stiles asked.

"I think I heard something." Scott replied. He turned towards the door and wandered out into the hallway, leaving Stiles behind. Derek moved to follow him and the two of them disappeared, Sydney remaining back in the room with Stiles, knowing that if there was a threat, that she would be the last thing standing between it and Stiles.

Stiles caught her hesitation and turned to where she was looking, his own eyes scanning over the cork board and looking at the array of pictures stuck to it.

Silently, she reached a hand out and tapped the bottom edge of a photo of Alex with his arm sticking out to the side, almost like there was someone that should've been in the picture with him.

"Missing people?" Sydney suggested and let her hand fall away from the photo. "What the hell happened here?"

"I don't- I'm not sure." Stiles stated. She turned her back to the cork board and looked around at the rest of the room, wondering what happened to Alex's parents. She knew that they were taken by something, Stiles had given her that much, but where had they gone to and why were all of their things inside their house just missing?

She paced towards the end of the bed and lowered her butt down to sit on it, all the while Stiles walked over to the side of the bed and dropped gently down onto his knees. She turned sideways and watched him as he used his hand to lift up the bed skirt, peering underneath it as if he'd find a clue below the bed.

When a wispy sound, almost like there was a gust of wind in the house, caught Sydney's ear, she turned her attention towards the door and stared at it, waiting for whatever to happen next to happen.

She couldn't see anything, she could barely hear anything and the scents that she could make out were still faint in comparison to what she normally could make out.

Stiles' hand slapped down on the floor and she whipped her head around to look at him, watching as he backed away from the bed, a panicked look on his face. He peered past her, staring at the opposite side of the bed, which caused Sydney to jump to her feet. If Stiles had seen something, if he had found something important, she was going to be right there with him.

"Liam." Sydney murmured, barely catching the sound of the youngster's voice. She could smell Derek more than anyone, but even his scent was fading away quickly. This house gave her the willies, it sent shivers down her spine, and the sooner they could get whatever it is they came for, the sooner they could get the hell out of here. "Stiles, I don't…"

Stiles made a beeline for the door and Sydney immediately followed suit, barely making it out of the room before he slammed the door shut. She looked down at her feet, watching the dried out, crunchy leaves blow across the floor, all the while Stiles leaned against the door, his chest heaving, his breaths unsteady.

"Syd…" He trailed off and she set a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"I'm right here." She whispered and lowered her body into a crouch position. "I'm not going anywhere."

Stiles turned his attention down the hallway, towards the stairs that would lead back down to the main floor. Sydney followed his eyes and shivered at the feel of a cold wind gusting past her, but she was undeterred; if this was something that she could fight, then that's exactly what she was going to do.

She'd fight with everything she had; she wasn't going to let anyone, or anything, get to Stiles.

"Wait!" Stiles blew the word out, his gaze locked on something down the hall.

Sydney looked where he was looking, and then looked all around the hall, not seeing a damn thing. She reached a hand out towards him but Stiles sidestepped her grip, leaving her hanging.

"Stiles, what's…what's going on?" She asked, panic evident in her tone. "Derek?"

"Wait." Stiles repeated the word. Before she knew what was going on, Stiles dropped to the floor and covered his head with his hands. His body jerked every few seconds but Sydney had no idea why, nor did she know what the hell to do.

Without thinking, she stepped in front of him, making sure that she was his shield, hoping that whatever Stiles saw would stop at the sight of her protecting him.

"Stiles!" She shouted back at him and then let out a fierce growl, giving her enemies a hint at how dangerous she could be. "Derek!"

Stiles cowered against the door for a few more seconds, and then, just as quickly as he had dropped, he moved his arms away from his head and stared upwards, looking down the hall, past her. She dropped to her knees next to him and set her hand on his shoulder causing Stiles to jump on contact.

"What the hell Stiles?" She hummed and ran her hand over his face, checking him for any sort of injuries.

"Syd?" He gave his head a shake, forcing her hand away, and sucked in a breath, trying to get his heart to slow down.

Sydney heard the footsteps before she spotted them and when Derek came up behind her, she blew out a sigh of relief, yet she was still confused as to what the hell had just happened.

"Did you see him?" Stiles asked in a low tone, Sydney shaking her head no.

"See who?" She pressed and offered him a hand to get up.

Stiles made it to his feet as Scott came running towards them, a look of fear on his face.

"What? What happened?" Scott demanded, getting close to Stiles, close enough to check him over without actually having to touch him. She didn't smell blood, but she could sense panic, and fear, a lot of fear. Whatever had Stiles rattled wasn't something to take lightly, even if she had no idea what had gotten to him.

"He was here, he shot at me." Stiles explained, his tone loud and fear filled. "It was one of the guys you saw in Alex's memory."

"Wait, you _saw_ a guy?" Sydney looked at Scott and then back to Stiles. "And you _just_ saw him too?"

"The guy who took his parents?" Mason threw in, apparently knowing more about what had just happened than Sydney.

"No, no, no." Stiles sounded frantic but she was going to hang on his every word. "They weren't just taken, they were, they were made to disappear. That's why there's no furniture, that's why they weren't in any of the photos."

"What?" Sydney barked and stood up, peering behind her at Derek.

"They were erased." Stiles said.

"What?" Sydney repeated the word again, this time a little louder, a little more forcefully.

Stiles ignored her question and pushed his way back to the door to the bedroom. She didn't have a chance to stop him, or even slow him down, no Stiles was on a mission and when he opened the door to Alex's room, her eyes widened in utter shock.

Where the room had once been bright and full of furniture and memories, there was nothing, not a thing left. The room was empty, just like the rest of the house, just like every other room on the upper floor.

"The fuck?" Sydney growled and threw her arms up into the air. "What the fuck is going on?"

"We need…we need to get to the library." Stiles said and pushed his way back through the group of people standing in front of the room.

"Why?" Sydney grumbled. "Tell me what to do, what do I do to help?"

"The twins." Derek supplied. "Maybe they know something about people being erased."

"Yeah?" She shook her head and pointed at Derek. "Yeah okay. If you find anything, you let us know."

"Sure thing!" Stiles called out from halfway down the hall. Sydney rolled her eyes at him, grabbed Derek by the hand and started to get the hell out of the house.

She would be glad when she knew what had happened to Stiles, and whether or not she should be concerned about him.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Author's note: I hope you guys are liking the way I've sort of started to piece things together, Peter will be back eventually, but how we get there is going to be a bit of rough ride ;)  
_**

 ** _Special thank yous go out to everyone who added this story to their alert list and their favourite lists._**

 ** _A huge thank you to those of you that left reviews, you all had such kinds words and I appreciate them more than you could ever imagine!_**

 ** _If you guys have any ideas as to what you think it going to happen, or questions regarding this season, not to mention concerns or comments, feel free to let me know!_**

 ** _I hope you enjoyed the latest installment_**


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 4** **:**

Derek pulled his car into the driveway behind Sydney's and she undid her seatbelt but didn't make a move to get out. She was clearly worried about something and he wasn't going to let her not tell him what, but he also wasn't going to push her. He knew how much he didn't like to be pushed and Sydney- well there was a lot going on in her life that he didn't want to stress her about.

She was building a pack, trying desperately to keep everyone happy, and more importantly alive, but Derek still hadn't said whether or not he was going to stay with her. He didn't know how he felt about having her as an alpha but he knew what the alternative was and being an Omega didn't sound any better at all.

But she had two betas who had been his enemy at one point and while maybe he had sort of forgiven them, or at least let go what they had done to him, he still wasn't totally sure he liked the idea of them being his pack mates. Sydney was their alpha though and so far, of all the time he had spent with the twins, they hadn't done anything to him to warrant him making a decision based on their presence alone.

Derek figured that if he ever made her choose between them being in her pack and him, she'd probably choose him. They had known each other longer, they had been best friends as children and even into their adult lives they continued to back and support each other. Why wouldn't she pick him?

Okay, maybe part of him feared that she wouldn't choose him. The twins had been around for Bruin ever since she was born, which was more than he could say for himself. Technically he was the kid's family though, even if no one really knew how they were related. Nonetheless, Bruin's last name was Hale, she was connected to him somehow, and he wasn't going to just give that up.

"I don't get it." Sydney sighed, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. While Sydney hadn't made a move to get out of the car, neither had Derek, in fact, he hadn't even turned the engine off. Without thinking too much more about it, Derek made sure the car was in park and then he turned the key, freeing it from the ignition.

He held the key in his hand and turned to face Sydney, who was staring straight ahead at her house. He could tell that she was a little confused, a lot mixed up, but what was he supposed to do to help her? It wasn't like Derek knew anything more than she did, except…did he?

His supernatural knowledge used to be greater than hers and he figured that even though she had the twins on her side, and Charlie, he probably still knew more than she did. He had grown up with someone to guide him through, she had been stuck with her grandparents, who had done everything in their power to make sure she grew up to be as human as possible.

There was no denying the wolf within though. No matter how hard they would've tried, they couldn't turn Sydney into a full-fledged human, she would always be a werewolf, until the day she died.

"Don't get what?" Derek pressed and reached a hand across to her. She took it and held it in her hands, feeling her body relax at the mere contact. He was a Hale, he comforted her when she needed it, and even though there were so many unknowns at that moment, she did know that Derek would never abandon her if she needed him.

"This whole thing." She let out another sigh and leaned her top half over towards him, her shoulder gently connected with his chest. "I was with Stiles, I didn't see anything, I swear to god, I have no idea what he was looking at, what he was cowering from. Derek…what the fuck is going on?"

"I don't know Syd." He offered up with a soft sigh of his own.

"But don't you have any theories? Any sort of ideas as to what it _could_ be? I know we can cross Wendigos off the list, and chimeras, but like…fucking hell, what if this has something to do with the Dread Doctors? What if this has something to do with Theo?" Sydney rambled. "Sure he disappeared but no one saw his body, no body, no proof right? Do you think he's dead?"

"Theo?" Derek cocked his head sideways and thought about her questions. While he had never actually _met_ Theo, he had heard all about what had happened. He had been proud of the way Sydney handled her pack, had protected her pack from Theo and in the end, she hadn't suffered any casualties.

She certainly wasn't the same person he had believed she had been when she left his pack originally. Calling her weak, even if he hadn't meant it, had been a huge mistake on his part. He had forfeited a strong wolf, an intelligent woman who could've been his most loyal beta, instead, she had run off and joined forces with…

 _Who_ had she joined forces with? She hadn't handled things on her own, hell, it had been way too long since she had been literally on her own.

Yet he couldn't, for the life of him, recall where she had gone to.

"Yeah, do you think Theo's dead?" Sydney inquired. "I need proof to believe it, but that doesn't mean it's not possible, right?"

"Are you hoping that he's dead?" Derek countered.

"I don't…" She shook her head and sucked in a breath. "God I don't know. If he wasn't totally insane he'd be a decent beta."

"Wait." Derek lifted his free hand up and waved it in front of him. "You're not actually thinking that he'd be good in your pack. Syd, did you not tell me that he tried to kill-"

"Hence why I said 'if he wasn't totally insane' Derek." She cut him off with a groan. "I just wish I knew what was going on. Why did Stiles think he saw something, why didn't I see it too?"

Derek let out a soft hum and took her words to heart. Why _hadn't_ anyone seen anything, why had Stiles been the only person to claim to have seen something? Was there something that he could recall from the lore, was there some sort of supernatural thing that could explain it?

"Maybe only humans see whatever it is?" Derek offered up.

"Maybe." Sydney trailed off. "He said that they were erased though, what sort of thing has the ability to erase people, I mean, that sounds like only something God could do."

"Not God…" Derek shook his head and pondered if there was anything that he could think of that had that sort of power. What the hell could erase people? What sort of creatures could wipe away the existence of a person without leaving anything behind? "What if…what if Bruin's dad was erased, what if whoever took that kid's parents took the man who fathered your kid?"

Sydney straightened up in the seat and turned her head to lock eyes with Derek. She let his words sink in and sucked in a huge breath, considering what he was truly implying. It was possible, sure, for these things to have erased the man that she had been with, and if that was what happened, it would certainly explain why she couldn't recall who the man was, or why there was no record of his name on the birth certificate.

So how did they figure out who was erased, how did she get to the bottom of figuring out the identity of the man who had once been a part of her life, even if it was only briefly?

"You really think that?" Sydney shot back.

"I don't see why not." Derek shrugged, trying to convey to her that anything was possible, yet the more he thought about it, the more sense it made to him. Everything suddenly seemed to click.

There was a reason no one could come up with Bruin's father's identity. But maybe there was a way to figure it out, maybe it was as easy as going into her memories.

"But _who_ took him, _who,_ or what, erases people?" Sydney pressed. "And how do they do it without someone knowing, or someone seeing?"

Derek reluctantly peeled his hand away from Sydney's and made quick work of getting out of the car. She followed his lead and met him at the front, near the passenger's side light, Derek immediately setting his arm around her shoulder and holding her tight against him.

"My mother had the ability to steal memories from people without them knowing." Derek pointed out. "She was just an alpha. There have to be things out there more powerful that she was."

"Okay." Sydney let out a sigh and bowed her head, looking at her feet instead of at Derek, or the house. "So…so how do we un-erase a person? How do we bring them back?"

"How do you remember a person that's supposedly been erased?" Derek threw in.

Sydney slowly lifted her head up and turned to face Derek, taking in the sight of his eyes. He didn't bring out his icy blues, nor did she bring out her alpha reds, but something in his irises struck a chord with her. Bruin's father's last name was Hale, Sydney had to have been involved with a Hale, yet the only Hale that she knew that was a man, and not killed in the fire, was Derek.

They had never been anything more than friends, and Sydney knew that if Derek _was_ her kid's father, then his name would be on the birth certificate. So that meant there was another Hale male out there somewhere, a man who had been stolen from them, erased from their memories and their lives.

"Memories." Sydney murmured. "My memories. You said it yourself, your mom had the ability to steal memories from people, so maybe there's a way to go into someone's head and bring forgotten memories to the surface."

"Maybe there's a way to get you to remember someone who you've forgotten?"

"We can un-erase him." Sydney's lips slowly curved upwards into a smile. "We can figure this out."

Derek nodded his head in agreement and nudged her forward, towards the house. She moved with him, walking step for step with him, and when they were at the front door, Sydney pushed the door open and stepped inside, immediately locking onto Bruin's scent.

She slipped away from Derek and entered the house, moving swiftly to the living room where her eyes landed on Ethan, who was holding Bruin, a bottle in her mouth, while Aidan sat in the chair across from him with a laptop open on his lap.

Without putting it off any longer, she waltzed around the couch and dropped down next to Ethan, taking Bruin out of his hold when she was offered. The bottle never slipped from her mouth and when the little girl was settled into Sydney's hold, she peered down at the baby and studied her features, hoping for a clue to her father's identity.

"Do you guys know anything about any supernatural creatures having the ability to erase people?" Derek piped up as he joined then in the living room, taking a seat next to Sydney and ghosting his fingers over Bruin's head. "Or even something that only certain people can see?"

"What?" Aidan leaned forward in his chair and squinted at Derek, wondering what sort of tomfoolery he was talking about. "No, that sounds extreme, for starters, why would anyone want to erase someone?"

"Ignoring the why, let's just focus on the who, or what." Sydney stated with a roll of her eyes. "Have you ever read anything like that while you were working on the bestiary?"

"Nope." Ethan shook his head. "Sorry, but we can definitely start looking for something like that."

"We can?" Aidan countered, glaring at his brother, who merely glared right back at him. "Right, yes, we can."

"I can help." Derek offered and Sydney made a move to stand up but Derek set his hand on her shoulder, holding her in place. "You just sit with her for a little while longer, maybe something will trigger a memory or something and you'll remember who her father is."

"Wait, this has to do with Bruin's dad, doesn't it? You think that something erased him, and that's why we don't know who he is?" Ethan asked. "I guess we should get right on this then, no sense wasting any time."

Sydney remained sitting on the couch while the three males around her made their way to their feet, scattering in different directions in her home. She let out a soft sigh and when Bruin was finished with her bottle, she brought the girl up further into her arms and kissed her on the head, inhaling a deep whiff of her scent. It smelled oddly comforting, a mix of her, and whoever her father was, and even though, for right now, she had no idea who the man who helped create her daughter was, she wasn't going to stop trying to figure it out.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Bruin was squirming in Sydney's arms but it wasn't anything that she wasn't used to. The poor little girl was growing antsy and maybe a little frustrated, but Sydney wasn't going to give in to her, no, Bruin would eventually calm down and settle in her hold, most likely falling asleep within minutes.

It was pretty much their nightly routine, except ever since Sydney had arrived home from the abandoned house, her and Bruin both seemed to be a little more on edge than normal. As much as Sydney tried to comfort her child, she knew that no matter what she did, Bruin wasn't going to just let herself calm down. There was something bothering the tot and the sooner Sydney could figure out what had her on edge, the sooner everything could return to normal.

Derek had tried to leave earlier but Sydney had insisted he stay, part of her feeling way more at ease with him around than she was used to. He was calming to her, even just being in the same room as her soothed her, but it was even better when he sat near her. She had to fight back the urge to curl up against him and nuzzle her nose against his neck while covering herself with his scent.

No matter what though, she didn't want him to go, she wanted him to stay. At least if he was right there with her, then she felt like maybe things _would_ be okay. Without him nearby, she could feel the tension in her muscles growing.

When Charlie and Isaac had returned home after school, it had made it easier for Derek to give in to Sydney's requests to stay too. If Isaac was with them instead of being alone at the loft, where he was staying for the time being, then Derek didn't have to worry about him. He would always feel a little responsible for the beta, after all, he had been the one to turn him, but he sort of liked the fact that he was as close to Sydney's pack as he was, even if it was just mostly Charlie.

She seemed good for him. Where Isaac was nervous, she calmed him. When Isaac was a little angry for what the twins had done many months ago, Charlie was there to remind him that they protected her on more than one occasion, plus, hadn't they all done some questionable things in the past?

Derek certainly wasn't excused from that little fact, neither was Sydney. The twins, while they had once been on the murderous side, had only done what they were told, and wasn't Deucalion the real bad guy there? Wasn't he the reason that the alpha pack had gone after Derek to start with?

"Do you really think we can go into my memories and draw out something pertaining to Bruin's father?" Sydney quipped, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. Charlie and Isaac were sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table, using the surface for Charlie's homework, which Isaac was 'helping' her with. The twins were resting in the chairs across from her but the two of them were on laptops, working away at searching for anything that might help them figure out what sort of supernatural creature had the ability to erase people.

Sydney hadn't been all that confident in their research but at least it was better than doing nothing, right? It _had_ to be better than doing nothing.

"I don't see why not, worst case, it doesn't do anything and someone gets a glimpse into your head." Derek remarked and shifted on the couch next to her. He leaned in closer to her and set his hand on Bruin's back, watching as the girl immediately settled down and stopped squirming.

Apparently having Derek around calmed Bruin just as much as it did Sydney.

"Someone's going to go into your head?" Charlie asked and lifted her head up from her homework. "Is that someone going to be Derek?"

Sydney looked down at her beta then back at Derek and offered them both a shrug. It wasn't like anyone had said anything about who was going to be the one to go into her head but it wasn't an unlikely assumption that it would be Derek. He was the one related to whoever Bruin's father was, didn't that mean he had a better chance of locating something that would help them identify him?

"Probably." Sydney answered with a shrug.

"And you really think that's a safe bet?" Charlie pressed and even Isaac looked at her with a confused expression. In Sydney's mind, Derek made the most sense, but apparently Charlie had come across something that made her question this.

"Well if we were talking experience, maybe Aidan could do it, but I just figured since Derek's got the same last name as Bruin, that maybe he'd more easily recognize something if we happened to actually _do_ this." Sydney explained, relaxing into the couch. She leaned into the cushions and gently adjusted Bruin in her arms so that the baby was a little more comfortable, then she locked her eyes on Charlie's and raised one eyebrow. "Why, what are you thinking?"

"I was thinking that we wouldn't want to scar poor Derek, that's all." Charlie replied, innocence lacing her tone. Sydney let out a low growl and Charlie's lips curled upwards into a smirk. "What if he sees something in your head that he doesn't want to see?"

"What are you talking about?" Isaac piped up, his voice bordering on a growl.

"We know that Bruin's dad is some sort of Hale, now, I don't know about you but if I were Derek, I don't know if I'd want to go into Sydney's head for fear that I might see my brother, father, uncle, grandpa, whatever, doing something inappropriate with my best friend. There _are_ X-rated memories…"

Sydney sucked in a breath and considered Charlie's logic. She had a point, plus maybe there were memories in her head that she didn't necessarily _want_ Derek to see, maybe there were things that she was supposed to keep hidden from him. With a slight shake of her head, Sydney let out a soft groan of frustration and met Derek's eyes.

He looked a little more concerned than he had all of five seconds ago, and it was all thanks to Charlie. She was definitely on to something.

"Okay, so who do you suggest we let go into my head?" Sydney asked but she didn't take her eyes off of Derek. Charlie didn't need to be looked at to know that her alpha was speaking to her.

"I was thinking maybe you'd let _me_ do it." Charlie remarked.

Huh, well…the worst that could happen was that Charlie did it wrong and she'd wind up paralyzed, or dead, but that was unlikely, right? There were a few people in the house that knew where to put the tips of their claws so that didn't happen, plus, Sydney could guide her, she had done it before, she had helped the twins master the art.

Maybe Charlie was right, maybe it was time to start showing her young beta the tricks of the trade, but was it the appropriate time, was now, when everything was hinging on this idea, a good time to let the girl go exploring in her head?

"And you're not afraid of stumbling upon X-rated memories?" Isaac pointed out with a knowing look.

"I uh, I hadn't really thought that far." Charlie fumbled over her words. "I want to learn though."

"I can't say I disagree." Sydney spoke up but let out a sigh. "I think it _would_ be a valuable skill for her to learn."

"So then I say we give her a shot." Aidan shrugged. "We'll all be right here anyways, what could possibly go wrong?"

Ethan let out a soft scoff, "a lot of things."

"True." Charlie nodded. "I just…I want to be the best I can be, what better way than to start learning some of the cool werewolf party tricks?"

"Let me sit on it, maybe we can avoid it all together, there _might_ be a different way, and anyways, we still have no idea what we're even up against. Someone might figure something out." Sydney explained. "Stiles will probably have the answer by the end of the night."

Derek rolled his eyes but gave her a nod of agreement. Everyone in the room seemed to understand how intelligent Stiles was and how devoted he was to figuring things out. If anyone could figure out what was able to erase people, then it _was_ possible that they could come up with a better solution than to willy-nilly start digging through Sydney's head.

Reaching out, Derek took Bruin out of Sydney's hold and pressed a kiss against the side of her head, relishing the time that he got to spend with the little girl, even if he didn't totally understand how him and Bruin were related. He leaned back against the couch and Bruin curled up into a ball on his chest, her tiny little fist coming up to grab at the material of his shirt, holding it firmly in her hand as she let out a soft breath.

Sydney made a move to stand up but before she could get to her feet, her phone vibrated from within the pocket of her jeans. She dug the device out and peered at he screen, watching the name 'Stiles' flash across it.

"Speak of the devil." Sydney remarked and hit the answer button, lifting the device up to her ear.

"Like Beetlejuice," Charlie laughed, "say his name three times and he appears."

"Ha ha, you're _so_ funny." Isaac said, sarcasm evident in his tone. "Be quiet so we can all listen to what he has to say."

"I've got the pack here Stiles." Sydney announced and moved the phone away from her ear before putting it to speaker. "You're on speaker, everyone can hear you, not that they couldn't before but-"

"Ghost Riders." Stiles cut her off, his voice sounding much more panicked than she was used to. "The wild hunt Syd, they come by storm riding horses and they take people, they just…poof, they steal people."

"Ghost Riders." Sydney repeated the word and pointed her fingers at the twins, who both immediately started typing on their laptop keyboards. "And the wild hunt?"

"It's supposedly a myth, but it's definitely not the weirdest thing to happen in Beacon Hills." Stiles replied. "But the more important thing is the Ghost Riders."

"They take souls." Derek threw in, his eyes widening in recognition. "They take people, they steal them, erasing them and everything about them."

"They make you disappear." Sydney echoed, looking at Derek.

"If you see them." Derek supplied. "That's the way the legend goes; if you see them while they're passing through the town, they take you."

"So if you don't see them…then they don't take you?" Charlie quipped, trying to understand what the hell was going on around her. "So, they're like-"

"Stiles." Sydney cut her beta off, her heart starting to hammer in her chest. "Stiles, didn't you say that you saw them? At the house, you said that you saw something, and no one else-"

"Syd, what- what does that mean?" Stiles stammered and Sydney looked over at Derek.

"It means he's going to be taken." Derek answered for her and Sydney took the phone off speaker and lifted it up to her ear so that only she was the one who could hear him. In all honestly, the rest of her pack could easily listen in, but she needed to feel better, she needed to talk to Stiles one on one, without the rest of her betas interfering.

"Stiles you need to get the hell to somewhere-"

"Syd, I don't know…where do I go?"

"I don't know, just run. You have to run!" She shouted into the phone, her voice sounding more panicked than it had ever sounded before. "Stiles you can't let them…they can't…fuck you have to stay with me, okay, don't let them take you."

"Syd!" He pleaded and she pulled the phone away from her ear, staring at the screen. She didn't know where he was, or what was going on, but she knew that Stiles was in danger. She had to help him, she had to get to him.

"Hang on, I'm on my way. Where are you?" Sydney questioned and let her eyes fall shut. She needed to make sure no one took Stiles, he was too important to her.

"I'm at the school."

"I'll be there as soon as I can." Sydney announced and waited for Stiles to reply before hanging up. She tucked the phone into her pocket and rushed towards the front door, shoving her feet into her boots and making a grab for her jacket.

Once the garment was on her top half, she hesitated and looked back into the living room, eying up her pack, and her friend. Bruin was resting comfortably on Derek while Charlie and Isaac had apparently gone back to homework. Weren't they concerned, weren't they worried…about…about…

"Where are you going Syd?" Aidan's voice cut into her thoughts and she shook her head, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Why couldn't she remember what she was doing, or where she was going?

"The school…I think." Sydney answered, a hesitation to her words.

"Why?" Isaac scoffed and Sydney wracked her brain, trying desperately to try and remember what she was supposed to be doing.

She dug her phone back out of her pocket and looked at the screen before scrolling through her phone call log. She spotted 'Stiles' there a few times but when she pulled her eyes away from the screen and looked back, it was blank. There was nothing there, no reminder of who she had ever gotten a call from, _if_ she had gotten any calls at all.

Sucking in a breath, Sydney let out a low growl and paced back into the living room.

"Weren't you just on the phone?" Charlie asked and furrowed her eyebrows together.

"I uh, I don't know." Sydney shook her head again and felt her body stiffen up. Was she supposed to be going somewhere, was she supposed to be on her way to see someone? Why couldn't she remember what she was doing?

Her phone started vibrating in her hand and without thinking, Sydney answered the call, lifting the phone up to her ear.

"Syd!" The voice was frantic and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to pinpoint who the voice belonged to. Was this supposed to be someone she recognized?

"Who's this?" She countered and all she heard on the other end was a frustrated groan. The line went dead before the person could respond and Sydney slowly pulled the device away from her ear, staring at it, trying to key in on who the voice belonged to.

"Who was that?" Charlie called out to her from her spot on the floor and Sydney shook her head.

"I don't know…I have no idea but I think…I think they were important."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts?_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 5** **:**

Frustration, Sydney was suffering from pure and utter frustration.

As much as she tried to remember who Bruin's father was, as well as the person who she _had_ been talking to on the phone, it just wasn't coming to her. There were parts of her memories that were fuzzy, that is, if they weren't missing all together, yet somehow, she couldn't help but wonder if there wasn't something more she could be doing.

In all actuality, it didn't matter though, she had to look after Bruin, who was her prime focus. The little girl seemed antsier than usual but Sydney had chalked it up to the fact that she was on edge. She didn't like missing chunks of her life, or not knowing what the hell was going on, but it seemed that the harder she tried to think about it, and force herself to remember, the more frustrated she became.

This wasn't easy, and aside from the whole idea settled around getting one of her betas to go into her head, Sydney didn't know what else to do. She still wasn't sure what was going on, except the term 'Ghost Riders' had been thrown around. She still didn't have much on them either, even though the twins had spent most of the night before researching the Ghost Riders online.

It was almost like the more she dug into things, the more unanswered questions she came up with. Why was this all happening to her, why had someone wanted to erase Bruin's father, unless- yes, maybe he was someone important, maybe he was someone powerful.

But what exactly did they gain by stealing people, erasing them from reality? She knew that they wanted the souls but what exactly did the Ghost Riders want the souls for? If she could just remember, if she could even lay her finger on a hint as to who the two missing people in her life were, then maybe everything would come back to her.

"Syd!"

She heard her name being called out by one of the twins but she didn't make a move to get off of her bed. Her and Bruin had been cuddling, Sydney giving up long ago on reading her baby girl a story. She had too much on her mind to concentrate but laying with her daughter, just relishing in the presence of the tot, was enough to calm her down, even if it was just the tiniest little bit.

"In my room!" She called back and let out a soft sigh, burying her face into the pillows while she pulled Bruin closer to her, trying to soothe the little girl with her touch.

When she turned her face away from the pillows, she spotted Aidan standing in the doorway, his eyes locked on hers and she made her way into a sitting position, gently hauling Bruin up into her arms as she moved. Aidan hesitated for a split second but crossed over the threshold and wandered inside, lowering his butt down to the edge of the bed and crossing his arms over his chest.

"The more I think about everything that's going on, the more I think that maybe it _is_ a good idea to have someone go into your head." Aidan confessed, Sydney letting out a soft sigh, almost as if she was agreeing with him.

She wasn't sure that she liked the idea all that much, hell, there had to be another way, but it's not like they could just put it off. What if Charlie, or Isaac, or either of the twins were suddenly erased? Then what was she supposed to do, well, to be fair, it's not like she'd know who they were to start with, but still, the idea of losing her pack, becoming vulnerable, set her on edge.

What if the Ghost Riders went after Derek, or hell, even Bruin? What if the Ghost Riders came right for her-

Wait, maybe that was the answer- maybe that was something that she could work with. If she could somehow bait the Ghost Riders to take her, then maybe she could get to the missing people in her life that way. She would wind up in the same place as them and recognize them, then all would fall into place, right?

But was that how it worked? What would she do if she _did_ manage to get taken, then wind up all on her own, or worse, killed? What if the people who were taken were already dead?

God, there were far too many unknowns in the equation, but was that going to deter her from trying to come up with a plan? No, no it wasn't. She was a fierce alpha, she was strong, smart and she could do this, she could get back whoever had been stolen from her.

She just needed to figure out a better plan, and then let her pack know what she was thinking.

"You have any issues with Charlie being the one to do it?" Aidan pressed once he realized that she wasn't going to respond. Sydney offered him up a small shrug and thought about it.

Honestly, it wasn't that she was scared of giving Charlie a chance, but she was a little scared of what the girl would find, or not find. Who was to say that the Ghost Riders hadn't been very thorough and stolen each and every memory that Sydney had of the missing people?

"I think it'd be a good opportunity for her." Sydney said slowly. "Plus you two and Derek would be there when she did it. It's not like there's ever going to be a better time, right?"

"I guess not." Aidan replied and let out a soft sigh. "I just…whatever's happening…people being erased, it's freaking me out."

"You and me both." Sydney scoffed and gave him a nudge with her elbow. Bruin squirmed in her hold and Sydney made quick work of setting her down in the pillows, even going as far as to gingerly tickle her sides to keep her interested. Aidan stood up off the edge of the bed and watched his alpha play with her child before sucking in a breath. "You don't trust her abilities?"

"I do, Charlie's a really good werewolf, I just…I don't know. Everything feels weird, like, like there's something off about _everything_."

"It makes me wonder who else had been stolen right out from under us. Who's to say that I didn't have a huge pack full of all sorts of capable werewolves? If they've taken Bruin's dad, and the guy from the phone, who else have they taken, and more importantly, _why_?"

"I just want to know _if_ we can get them all back. Maybe they're beyond saving." Aidan threw out and Sydney gave him a somber nod.

"What if they're already dead…" She let her sentence trail off. "I can't help but to think that this is only the beginning. What's stopping these things from coming after us all, and then what would happen if they took Bruin, or me?"

"That's opening up a whole new can of worms." Aidan pointed out and tried to smile but there was nothing positive about the situation. "The sooner we get into your head and _maybe_ figure out who's missing, the sooner we can devise some sort of plan to attempt to get them back."

"Agreed." Sydney nodded her head. She held her breath and took in the sight of Bruin, who had latched onto her wrist with her tiny little hands. She let out a soft cooing noise and Sydney immediately scooped her up, cradling her against her chest and providing a warm embrace to her baby girl.

She would give almost anything to know who had helped to create her little darling, but she knew that it wasn't going to be easy. Beacon Hills was a strange place, the more time she spent here, the more she wondered why she had ever left Colorado.

What was here that she didn't have there? Why had she come back when she had such a nice set up in her home state? Hell, even Derek could've met up with her there, there was no reason for her to be here, in Beacon Hills, at least not that she could think of.

"Well, when Charlie gets home from school, maybe we should get her to practice a few times on someone else before we jump right into letting her try the mind melt on you." Aidan suggested, Sydney lighting up at the prospect.

Yes, that was a very good idea. Maybe they could teach Charlie how to search through memories, maybe they could teach her how to dig deep into the mind and pull out thoughts that were hidden, pushed down and tucked away.

"You up for being a guinea pig?" Sydney countered with a small smile.

"I was thinking more like Isaac." Aidan teased and Sydney let out a laugh, which was such a nice sound compared to the somber mood that they had recently become used to. "He's much more expendable, wouldn't you agree?"

"I was actually thinking that maybe we could get him to try it out too." Sydney said, letting her words sink in. Aidan's eyes widened ever so slightly but Sydney continued before he had a chance to speak his mind. "There's two of you right, and Derek and I can supervise-"

"I trust you." Aidan nodded his head but when he looked into her eyes, he brought out his vibrant blue irises. Sydney sucked in a breath and matched his with hers, only she looked at him with fiery red alpha eyes, reminding him of what he had once had, and lost. "I think it can only benefit the pack in the long run."

"Yeah." She continued to smile. "I knew you'd see it my way. Plus what fun it'll be for me and Derek, see you're lucky I like you, or else I might've gotten one of them to slip up, paralyze you."

"Then you'd be down a babysitter." Aidan pointed out with a joking tone. "I can't imagine there are a lot of options out there for sitters when it comes to a baby werewolf."

Sydney cocked her head sideways and gave him an agreeing nod. She then stood up and looked right at him, her smile not fading for a second. Holding Bruin tightly against her chest, she wandered over to the crib and set the baby down inside of it, watching as her daughter settled in and grabbed hold of the stuffed wolf that had been residing in the crib.

"I'm going to call Derek then and tell him the plan." Sydney announced. "Maybe I'll see what he thinks about the whole thing too. It's possible that he'd be willing to be a guinea pig-"

"Don't count on that." Aidan cut her off with a scoff. "The less people that get to go inside Derek's head, the better. I feel like that would be a scary place in there."

Sydney's mind drifted to Derek and the bad experiences of the past that he had. His family had been locked in the house while it had been lit on fire, his pack had been shredded right in front of him, his betas being killed off one by one. Then there was the fact that his sister Cora had been missing in action for months, maybe even years-

Yes, Derek's head would be a scary place and Aidan definitely had a point. She certainly didn't want to venture into his head, but he'd work just fine as a chaperone for their little trust building activity.

"We all have dark memories." Sydney said with a shrug. "It sort of comes with the territory of being a werewolf."

"You got them too?"

"Me, oh yeah. I saw my parents die, it can't get much darker than that." Sydney remarked, her hand wrapping around the top of the crib. "The difference between me and Derek though is that I'm pretty much an open book. I don't tend to have a lot of secrets."

"But Derek does?"

"Yeah, I think so. Maybe they're just things that he'd rather not bring up, so maybe 'secrets' isn't the right word. Derek's a good guy, guarded for sure, but once you get to know him, and he starts letting you in, he's not so bad." Sydney explained. "He's still my best friend."

"Well if he's your best friend, has he mentioned anything about being in your pack?" Aidan pressed and Sydney shook her head no.

"It's not like I've outright asked though either. I wasn't going to push him." She stated. "He's got enough to worry about, I'm sure the topic will come up soon enough but for right now, let's handle these god forsaken Ghost Riders."

Aidan merely nodded his head and hesitated, shooting her what he was hoping was a reassuring smile before casually moseying on out of her room.

Sydney turned around and peered down at the now sleeping Bruin, taking in the sight of her baby girl. She just wished that she could remember the people that she was missing.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"Syd!" Charlie's voice was bordering on frantic as she waltzed through the front door. Sydney didn't need superhuman hearing to know that she wasn't alone, no, there were two sets of footsteps and both of them were louder. "Syd!"

"Kitchen!" Sydney yelled back and shook her head with an amused smile at Bruin, who was firmly grasped in her arms. The little girl's bum was resting against Sydney's thigh while her back was pressed against her front.

Before she could even make a move to turn around on the chair, Charlie came bounding into the room, Isaac right there with her. Charlie flung her backpack to the floor and slammed her palms against the edge of the table, which made a noise so loud that everyone in the room, including poor baby Bruin, jumped.

"You _will_ never believe it." Charlie huffed and let out a breath before she dropped down to sit in the vacant chair next to her alpha. Isaac followed her lead and took a seat across from Sydney and beside Charlie, shooting the older woman a bewildered look. "Okay, so, today I was talking to Mason and Liam right and I swore to god that I could smell another supernatural, but I just sort of ignored it for the time being because, well, we're in Beacon Hills right and there's like an overabundance of supernatural creatures living here."

"Yeah, it's legitimately a _beacon_." Sydney teased and leaned back in her chair, adjusting Bruin in her hold so that she was hugging her chest instead of having her sitting on her knee. "You smelled another supernatural though?"

"I think so, I'm pretty sure I did. When I met up with Isaac though, it had faded- look, you've gotten me all off track. That's not the point, because it doesn't matter if I thought I smelled another supernatural or not, there was a dead body found at the school last night." Charlie explained and Sydney's eyes widened in shock.

"The school smelled like blood this morning." Isaac threw in, solidifying Charlie's statement. "Plus the deputies were just leaving when the bell rang."

"Did you know the person?" Sydney asked, suddenly finding herself feeling on edge yet again. Through the day she had managed to calm herself down, focusing her attention on Bruin instead of trying to figure out who from her life was missing, but now that Charlie was here telling her that there had been a body discovered at the school-

"Chris is on his way here, to Beacon Hills." Isaac broke in, bringing Sydney back to the conversation at hand. "I texted him about the body as soon as I found out about it and he wants to check it out."

"So, if Chris is on his way here, that means that it's not just a typical murder, am I right?" Sydney questioned and gave a shake of her head. God, the more time she spent in Beacon Hills, the more she wondered what was wrong with her.

She figured that whoever the people were that were missing from her life were part of the reason why she was here and until she figured it out, she wasn't going to go anywhere, but if she found out who _was_ missing, and then cleared everything up- maybe heading back to Colorado deserved serious consideration.

Maybe they'd all be safer outside of the town limits of Beacon Hills.

"Well, the thing is, there were like teeth marks on the body." Charlie supplied. "This guy's skull was cracked wide open, god, I wish I knew more but that's pretty much all the information I got."

"Do you think this has anything to do with the Ghost Riders?" Sydney quipped. "Like if they're taking people, erasing them, what's stopping them from killing them too? Did people seem to know who the victim was?"

"I think so." Charlie gave a firm nod of her head. "According to the grapevine, his body was identified and everything, so I don't know, right now it seems like maybe this was a crime of opportunity and not really anything to do with the Ghost Riders."

Sucking in a breath, Sydney leaned back in her chair and tipped her head towards the ceiling. As if she didn't have enough to worry about with the presence of the Ghost Riders, now she had to deal with the threat of whoever had killed this person in the school. Could things get any more complicated?

Shaking her head and looking down at Bruin's wide, brown eyes, she stared into her daughter's irises and watched as a swirl of red flickered through, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared. Sydney felt a shiver run through her and hugged Bruin just a little bit tighter, silently vowing to protect her at all costs.

"So Chris is coming back here to look into this then?" Sydney queried. "He's going to be here to check this out, to look into whatever killed this person?"

"Yeah. That's what he told me." Isaac bowed his head.

"Good, good then I will wait for him to get here before I go off on my own." Sydney ran her hand up and down Bruin's back. "And I want both of you to stay out of it too, not until we know more about who killed-"

"Really?" Charlie whined. "I was sort of hoping that you'd tell me to look into it more, maybe even figure out who the supernatural at the school is. I can do it Syd, you know I can."

"I'm not saying you can't but I want you focused. If you're going to be the one going in to my head, I want you to worry about murderers after you've done that."

Charlie's eyes lit up at her alpha's words and she gave a rough nod of her head, excited to finally be included in learning tricks from her alpha. It wasn't that Charlie wasn't ready, but over the last few months, the entire pack had been focusing more on physical strength and training, at least that way they'd be able to protect themselves if they ended up in a situation where they'd have to.

This was a whole other ball game though, this involved skill and very particular finger/claw positions. One wrong move and the person could wind up paralyzed, or dead. Yet Sydney trusted her beta enough to let her do it to her, she knew that Charlie was ready and it was time that she started to become more than just a simple beta.

"Bet you're sorry you left France." Sydney muttered, directing her words at Isaac, who offered a shrug in response. Sure Beacon Hills was a bit of a chaotic mess right now but that didn't mean it couldn't be a calm and tranquil place. "Hey, maybe we should _all_ go over _to_ France. I bet you know of some nice places to see."

"Uh, what?" Isaac's eyes widened as Sydney brought her gaze up to meet his. "Yeah…I mean, sure, I know some nice places, but do you really think…now doesn't seem like the greatest time for a vacation."

"Chill out Isaac." Sydney scoffed. "I'm kidding, sort of. I'd go to Colorado before I went to France, especially with my sweet little baby Bruin."

Sydney cooed at the tot and Bruin let out an excited squeal, relishing in her mother's attention. With her tiny hand, she latched on to Sydney's thumb and let her mother wave their hands back and forth, all the while Sydney continued to make soft noises directed at Bruin.

"You are the one here have focusing problems." Charlie huffed and ran her hands out across the surface of the table. "I tell you that there was a dead body discovered in the school and we somehow end up talking about how we can't go to France because you have a baby."

"A fatherless baby." Sydney corrected quickly, without truly thinking about what she had said.

"Right." Charlie let out a sigh. "What _are_ we going to do about that anyways? Have you thought anymore about actually letting me going in to your head, to sift through your memories?"

Sydney tipped her head from side to side, pressing her lips together as she did so. It wasn't like she didn't _want_ to let Charlie do it, in fact, she was all for letting the beta try it out, but she wondered if there was an easier way to find a clue to the identity of Bruin's father.

Plus there was the whole conversation with Aidan earlier, about Charlie _and_ Isaac learning the tricks of the trade. It would only benefit everyone in the long run, and having more werewolves know how to go into someone's head was definitely a plus. What if something happened to Sydney that rendered her unable to do it herself?

"I was talking to Aidan before you guys got home, I think I want the two of you to both know how to do it." Sydney stated.

"Do what?" Isaac's expression stiffened, a look of terror crossed his eyes. "The whole 'memory trick' thing? Is that what you're referring to here?"

"Yes."

"But I-"

"You can argue all you want, and ultimately it's up to you, but I think that it's a valuable skill to know. Plus, I think we're going to get you two to test it out the first time on the twins." Sydney carried on. "That way Derek and I will be right there walking you through it."

"The twins?" Isaac cocked his head sideways. "You'd let me go into their heads? Really? You trust me enough to let me go into the head of one of the people responsible for Boyd and Erica's-"

"I don't think you have it in you to paralyze someone on purpose." Sydney cut him off, leveling him with a glare. "Am I right Isaac?"

"I uh-"

" _And_ if you _did_ paralyze one of them, you'd have to deal with me." Charlie tossed out. "Your eyes are still gold Isaac, truthfully, I really like that colour on you."

"You two are making me nauseous." Sydney mimicked gagging and shook her head. "Get your homework done, then I'll make dinner. If you two are up to it later, we can start getting into the basics for this whole 'mind melt' trick. Sound good?"

Charlie smiled wide at her alpha and turned her attention to Isaac, who was just staring at her, a dumbfounded expression on his face. Sydney made her way to her feet, holding Bruin firmly but gently in her hands, and without another word, she left the kitchen, Isaac and Charlie remaining silent while she went.

After a few beats of silence, Charlie reached a hand out and poked Isaac in the side, causing him to flinch from the poke. She continued to smile at him and opened her mouth to say something but no sound came out. This was good, great even, her _and_ Isaac were going to learn how to go into someone else's head.

Sydney trusted them enough to let them learn, she believed in them enough to teach them how. It was going to be a great night.

"You're not afraid of what you might find in her head?" Isaac asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"No." Charlie answered with a shake of her head. "I know that she'll teach me how to do it real good. What could possibly go wrong?"

Isaac didn't dare respond but he knew that the answer was most definitely 'a lot'.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thank you to those that reviewed, I swear the memories are in the next chapter!_**

 ** _What did you guys think about this installment?_**


	6. Chapter 6

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 6** **:**

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Isaac quipped, clearly nervous at what was about to go down.

As much as he had once been excited, Sydney could see it in his eyes that he was nervous, scared even. What could go wrong though, with all the people surrounding him, how could he possibly hurt Ethan, who was the twin that Sydney decided was going to be paired up with Isaac.

Sure there were a few issues but in the grand scheme of things, he'd have three other werewolves who had an inkling as to what they were doing right there with him. Sydney would check the position of Isaac's claws, then double check them, before she'd let him sink the tips into the back of Ethan's neck. Plus they were going to have Derek oversee the positioning too and have Aidan stand beside his brother in case something went awry.

"I can't believe you're letting him go first." Charlie whimpered, ignoring Isaac's concern all together. "I thought we were going to be going at the same time."

"Why would you think that?" Sydney countered and set the receiving end of the baby monitor down on the coffee table in front of the couch. She pushed her hair over her shoulders and gathered it together, giving it a lazy twist before letting it go. "And Isaac, if you really don't want to do this, you don't have to."

"If we go at the same time-"

"Then there's more room for error and less of our attention to go around if something happens that's not supposed to." Derek piped up. "We go one at a time."

"And this way, you get to watch, you'll be better prepared." Sydney teased.

"Fine." Charlie scowled, rolling her eyes at Derek's logic. Okay, it made sense, but still, it wasn't fair that Isaac got to go first when he wasn't even all that excited to go through with it to start with, _and_ he wasn't even technically pack…yet. She was Sydney's beta, she was the one who was supposed to go into Sydney's head, so in her mind, she should've been the one to go first. Anyways, wasn't that the cardinal rule, 'ladies first', huh, well so much for that.

"I want to." Isaac mumbled but set his sights on Charlie, who was practically jittering from all the excitement. "I'm just…this is pretty nerve-wracking."

"It's easy." Sydney shrugged and dropped down to sit on the couch next to Derek. Derek, who was on the end of the couch, was sitting next to Ethan. Isaac and Charlie were both standing, one on either side of him, while Aidan was relaxing in the chair across from them, a bored expression on his face. "Okay, maybe it's not _easy_ but it'll be cool, everyone will be fine. If anyone should be nervous, it should be Ethan."

"What?" Ethan stiffened up on the couch and glared at his alpha.

"Oh my god, I'm just kidding." Sydney lifted a hand up into the air and waved it around, dismissing his concern. "Everything will be _fine_."

"I think we should do this before he changes his mind." Aidan piped up from his spot across the room.

"Yeah." Isaac gave a nod of his head and Derek slowly rose up to his feet, motioning for Charlie to follow him. Sydney stood up too and Ethan shifted his butt from the couch to the coffee table, Sydney moving around to kneel on the surface behind him.

She reached out and waved at Isaac's hand, implying that she wanted him to give it to her and when he did, she twisted his wrist in her hand and squeezed at his knuckles. Derek guided Charlie around to look over Sydney's shoulder so that she could witness the right way to place the talons.

"Claws out." Sydney demanded and Isaac sucked in a deep breath, forcing his razor sharp nails out but not moving his hand out of her grip. "Last chance to back out, for anyone."

"I'm good." Ethan murmured and tipped his head down, giving them better access to the back of his neck.

"Same." Isaac added with an anxious sigh. "I'm ready."

"Good." Sydney gave a firm nod of her head and studied the skin on the back of Ethan's neck. She gently tugged on Isaac's arm and flipped his hand over in her grip, lining up his claws with Ethan's spine.

Derek looked over her placement and shifted Isaac's index finger ever so slightly, then he peered over to Sydney and gave her an assuring nod.

"Line up with the spine." Derek instructed, stealing a gaze at Charlie to make sure she was paying close attention. "If you hit the wrong spot, you could easily paralyze the person you're doing this too."

"And if you hit two wrong spots, you could kill them." Sydney added nonchalantly. "For the first few times that you do this, I want you to make sure you have supervision and either my approval of placement or Derek's. If I find out that either of you have taken to practicing on your own time, there will be _serious_ consequences."

"Okay." Charlie acquiesced. "I promise I won't do anything stupid."

"Don't promise that." Sydney scoffed with a teasing tone. "Just swear you won't try this trick at home."

"Like wrestling moves, right?" Aidan tossed out and casually rose up from his spot on the chair. He moseyed on over and stood behind Sydney, looking at the placement of Isaac's sharp talons on the back of his brother's neck. He gave her an approving nod as well and once Sydney was comfortable, having two people to check her guidance, she released her hold on Isaac's hand and sucked in an anxious breath.

"Whenever you're ready." Sydney said softly. "Just go slow, and keep it steady, okay?"

Releasing the breath he had just sucked in, Isaac tried to let a sense of calm take over his body. He tried to relax his muscles but this whole thing was new to him, and he didn't know what to expect. At the very least he was fearful of the unknown and he wasn't entirely sure how the experience was supposed to feel, or what would happen to him while he was in Ethan's head.

There were too many things that he hadn't asked, or not thought about until that very second, but why would he give this up now? He had come this far, his claws were where they were supposed to be and had been checked by not one but two werewolves. In what world would he ever get an opportunity like this one again?

Isaac slowly pressed the tips of his claws into the back of Ethan's neck and felt the skin ripping from the pressure. Warm blood trickled over the tips of his fingers but Isaac merely pushed in harder, feeling his muscles tightening.

Was this supposed to happen, was this…was this normal?

Before he could open his mouth, he felt his head begin to swim, his vision blurring and coming into focus on a completely different scene.

 _It wasn't real, but yet, it felt like it was happening to him, like he was watching from the sidelines. Ethan was standing in a kitchen, an unfamiliar kitchen, but if Isaac was to guess; it was most likely Sydney's house in Colorado._

 _Sydney herself was sitting at the table nearby, not paying any attention to Ethan, but what really caught his eye was the fridge and the only thing stuck to it. There was a picture flooded with grey and white swirls, which Isaac recognized as a picture of an unborn baby._

 _Was that…was that Bruin?_

" _How much longer until we get to meet her?" Ethan's voice wasn't nearly as muffled as Isaac was expecting, in fact, it was crisp and clear and he understood every word._

" _Bruin." Sydney corrected and lifted her head up from whatever it was she was doing at the table. Isaac forced himself to focus on her and when he caught side of the book in front of her, he couldn't help but respect her even more. Here she was sitting at the kitchen table, reading up on supernatural creatures, but more specifically werewolves and their packs._

 _She was researching packs, she was looking into what made a pack great, and yet she had still offered him a place within her little family. Isaac sucked in a breath and turned his attention back to Ethan, who was still staring at the sonogram._

" _She has a name, right." Ethan gave a nod. "Bruin, it's weird."_

" _It's my mom and dad's names squished together." Sydney explained, Isaac making a mental note that Bruin's unique name made a lot more sense now. "Plus my baby isn't going to have some mundane name like…like…"_

" _I get it, Bruin's nice. Again, a little weird, but nice."_

" _Well thanks." Sydney leaned back in her chair and tossed a smile at Ethan, who turned to face her and smiled right back. "Sorry things are a little complicated."_

" _No, there's no reason to be sorry." Ethan shook his head and stepped around the counter, moving to take a seat at the table across from Sydney. "And even if there was, you've given me a choice Syd. I want to be here, I want to be in your pack. Bruin just…she makes it better, she makes me feel like I have a purpose."_

" _She's my kid." Sydney chuckled._

" _Yeah, and you're my alpha. I'm here for you, no matter what, and I'm going to be here for Bruin." Ethan confessed. "Your little girl will be protected by not only you but me and Aidan too. We've done some questionable things in the past but I can promise you that Bruin- I won't ever hurt her."_

 _Sydney bowed her head and took in a deep breath, then she peered up at Ethan and smiled at him, giving him the comfort that he was seeking. He was her pack, he would always be her pack and no matter what he had done for her in the past, he was here to stay._

 _Bruin was just an added bonus, the little girl would have a mother and two other fierce protectors. It wasn't just Sydney taking on having a baby by herself._

" _You shouldn't have to worry about people targeting you, and so long as me and my brother are with you, we_ _ **will**_ _do everything in our power to make sure that you and Bruin are safe." Ethan continued to speak and Isaac felt his thoughts at harming the twins slowly dissipating._

 _Sure, he would forever remember the mayhem, the destruction that they had brought with them when they arrived in Beacon Hills, and he'd definitely never forget Boyd, or Erica, but maybe they_ _ **did**_ _deserve a chance. He could give them the benefit of the doubt, he could forgive them for what they did and move on, right?_

 _Yet it still seemed hard to do. They had ruined his former pack, they had broken Derek, they had killed Boyd and Erica, and they had caused him to give up on his alpha, the very man that had turned him, because he had_ _ **wanted**_ _it. Sydney was living with them though, she trusted them with her daughter's life, maybe Isaac could try to make nice._

" _You're a really good werewolf." Sydney gave Ethan a nod, but the beta merely turned away from her. "What? Has no one ever told you that before?"_

" _I uh…well, no, not really." Ethan admitted._

" _Well then I will keep saying it, okay. You, Ethan, are a really good werewolf,_ _ **and**_ _a really good friend."_

 _Before Isaac could see any more of the memory, his vision went blurry and his head began to swim. What the hell was happening, was this…was this normal? Was he supposed to feel like this?_

Sucking in a huge gulp of air, Isaac's legs wobbled underneath him and suddenly Charlie was there to help him, to support him, as he came out of Ethan's head. He forced a smile at her and then looked at Sydney, watching her eyes, searching for any hint of displeasure. Was he supposed to have stayed inside Ethan's head for longer, had he failed-

"Do you feel okay?" Sydney quipped and did a quick once over of Ethan. "Anything hurting or anything?"

"I uh, I feel…I feel fine." Isaac responded and lifted his hand up and away from Ethan's flesh. He looked at the blood that had oozed out of the puncture wounds and was currently staining his fingertips a nice, crimson red. "Is _this_ normal?"

"Yeah, I guess." Sydney shrugged. "I've never really thought about it but hey, Ethan's alive and he can still move, so it's not like you did any permanent damage."

Ethan, to prove her point, lifted his arms up into the air, stretching out his muscles, then he moved to his feet, plastering a smile onto his face. He gave Isaac's shoulder a rough pat as he brushed by him and Isaac turned to follow him as he moved. Were they not going to talk about what he had just seen? Were they really going to pretend that Isaac hadn't just witnessed Ethan being a compassionate human being?

Okay, if that was how he wanted to play things, then Isaac could easily follow the rules. He wouldn't mention it unless Ethan did first, but he already figured that he wouldn't. He didn't seem like the type of person to have a mushy conversation about feelings.

"My turn?" Charlie piped up, her voice nearly squealing with excitement. Isaac shook his head and tried to clear his mind before turning to face her. He forced an encouraging smile onto his face and stepped out of the way, flopping down to sit on the couch while Charlie rushed over and took up a stance where he had been standing mere seconds ago.

"You sure you're good?" Derek asked, his attention locked on Isaac. "If you don't feel right, you let one of us know."

"Okay." Isaac nodded and let out a soft sigh, relaxing into the couch.

It definitely hadn't been as bad or as weird an experience as he was expecting, but it was odd to think that Ethan had so willingly let him into his memories. Maybe the guy wasn't so bad after all, maybe Isaac should give him a chance to prove that they were on the same team. Ethan had trusted him enough to let him experiment on him knowing full well that one wrong move and Isaac could paralyze, or kill, him, but he had let him go through with it anyways.

"Aidan!" Charlie barked, causing Isaac to jump at the sheer forcefulness of her voice. "My turn!"

Sydney rolled her eyes at her young beta but couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. She was terribly excited and if Sydney was honest, she couldn't really blame her. This was a good skill to learn, and Charlie was lucky that she had such an experienced group surrounding her and willing to show her.

Aidan meandered around the coffee table and blew out a breath as he lowered himself down to sit on the edge, right where his brother had gotten up from. Sydney ran her hand through his hair and gave him a gentle nudge on the shoulder, reassuring him that it was all going to be okay.

Charlie forced her claws out and quickly reached around to the back of Aidan's neck, carefully setting her fingertips against his flesh, lining them up with his spine. Sydney watched carefully as she placed the tips of her claws against his skin but put no pressure behind them.

Reaching out, Sydney fixed up one of her fingers and then looked to Derek, who studied the positioning and gave a nod. Ethan walked over and stole a quick glance at Charlie's placement too, giving Sydney a pat on the back before stepping back and sitting in the chair that had most recently been occupied by his brother.

"Last chance to back out." Sydney murmured and ran her palm down Aidan's back. "I know Charlie's not going to."

"Damn right." Charlie grinned.

"I'm good."

"Okay, well Charlie, whenever you're ready, start slowly and be careful." Sydney instructed.

"Slow and steady." Charlie breathed the words out and sucked in a breath, holding it for a few seconds before releasing it, her entire body calming the tiniest little bit. "Slow and steady."

She calmly pushed her talons into Aidan's neck, ripping through the first layer of skin. Just like Isaac had experienced, a small trickle of blood erupted from the puncture wounds and warmed her fingers, but it wasn't enough to deter her, no, instead, it spurred her on. She pushed harder, maintaining a firm but steady pressure, and when the room started to blur around her, she let her eyes fall shut, venturing into the mind of her fellow pack mate.

" _You like her?" Ethan's voice was the first thing that Charlie heard which wasn't unexpected. Ethan was Aidan's twin and she figured that he'd have a lot of memories that involved him. It was the her that he was referring to that she didn't know._

" _I don't know." Aidan barked back. She focused on trying to figure out where the hell they were and when she caught sight of the familiar hallway, she knew that this was all happening in the front of Sydney's Colorado home. That still didn't explain who they were arguing about though. "I just…I don't_ _ **not**_ _like her."_

" _Well you should figure out what the hell you feel for her because I hate to break it to you but it's not going to happen." Ethan growled and took a step towards Aidan, staring at him with wide, anger filled eyes. "Maybe you need to take a breather, think this through, Sydney is not someone that you should be crushing on."_

" _Why not?" Aidan argued. "She's attractive, she's smart, she's strong, she's basically me in female form."_

" _She's mated you idiot." Ethan shook his head with a scoff. Huh, okay, so Sydney was mated, yes, that was a valuable piece of information to file away for when she relieved herself of being in Aidan's head. She still had no idea who Sydney was mated too, but maybe if she paid attention, if she could catch one of them say a name, then she could help back in reality._

" _Yeah, I know." Aidan's shoulders dropped at his confession and he seemed to go from confident and willing to argue to defeated in a matter of seconds._

" _Maybe you're confusing her kindness for feelings." Ethan suggested, his tone softening as well. "She gave us a place to stay, which means she sort of cares about us, but honestly Aidan, it doesn't mean she likes you back, or that you have a chance with her."_

" _Plus she's not even here, she's still in Beacon Hills, at least, as far as we know." Aidan admitted. He leaned against the nearest wall and slid down to the ground, planting his butt on the floor. Ethan followed his lead and took a seat on the cold, hard tile next to him, letting out a sigh in the process. "With her mate."_

" _I get that you kissed her and that you liked it, but you can't…if we're going to be in her pack, you have to get over this. You have to find someone else to crush on." Ethan explained._

" _You say that like it's the easiest thing ever." Aidan countered. "It's not."_

" _What about Lydia, you can think about her." Ethan supplied._

" _She's not my biggest fan." Aidan grumbled._

 _Charlie narrowed her eyes in on the twins and tried to decipher why this memory was the one that she was seeing. Did Sydney know that Aidan had liked her, hell, did he_ _ **still**_ _like her and was just trying to act like he didn't? Oh god, what if…what if Aidan somehow played a role in the disappearance of Sydney's mate?_

 _Mate, yes, Sydney had a mate, that had to be who Bruin's father was, right? Why would she have a mate if she didn't love the man? People made babies with those that they loved, right?_

" _Just promise that you won't act on your feelings." Ethan whispered and gave Aidan a rough swat on the leg. "Don't screw this up, we need all the help we can get."_

" _Yeah, and Syd's great."_

" _She is." Ethan nodded his head in agreement. "We'll never find another alpha willing to take us in, not unless they don't ever find out about what we did to Derek's pack."_

 _Aidan bowed his head and stared at his feet. He went to open his mouth to respond but the whole scene began to blur. Charlie struggled to keep it focused but it was no use, there was no stopping it from happening._

She opened her eyes and her claws were forced out of Aidan's neck, who gasped once he was free. Charlie stared at him, wondering if Sydney knew about this specific memory. Did she know that Aidan liked her, did he still like her?

"What's wrong with you?" Charlie asked immediately and swiped her hand against the back of her jeans, trying to rid her fingers of the miniscule amount of blood there. "You're an asshole."

"Hey!" Aidan barked and rose up to his full height. "Don't call me an asshole."

"Syd," Charlie turned her attention to her alpha, "did you know that Aidan has a crush on you?"

"Had!" Aidan threw out and looked behind him at Sydney, who was fighting off the urge to grin. " _Had_ a crush."

"I did know that." Sydney nodded her head. "We kissed once or twice before I came to Colorado."

"But you're mated." Charlie pointed out, watching as Sydney went rigid. "According to Aidan, you were mated whenever his memory took place."

The room was silent, all eyes were on Sydney as she stared up at Charlie, her eyebrows knitting together as she tried desperately to recall who her mate was. She had no idea that she had a relationship that went that deep with someone, but then again, she couldn't remember who he was.

Well this was a decent piece of information. Charlie had done much better than she had been anticipating. Without even trying, she had found an integral part of the missing pieces.

"You're mated…to a Hale." Derek murmured from nearby and Sydney turned her attention towards him. "At least I'm assuming that. Why would you have a baby with someone you're not mated to?"

Sydney clambered to her feet and rushed around the coffee table, dropping down to sit next to Aidan, who slipped his arm around her lower back, giving her a comforting hug. Charlie tipped her head but when Sydney reached out and grabbed her hand, she figured that they weren't putting it off any longer.

"Claws out." Sydney demanded and gripped Charlie's wrist, a little rougher than she would've liked. "Line them up with my spine."

Charlie felt Sydney's grip loosen and she did exactly as she was told, trailing the tips of her claws along the back of Sydney's neck before placed them where she thought was appropriate. Derek, who let out a sigh at Sydney, looked over at the back of her neck and gave Charlie a nod. Aidan followed up his movements, matching them, as he too checked on the placement of Charlie's fingers.

Charlie stole a quick glance at Isaac, who was still sitting on the couch, and he gave her an encouraging smile. This was it, this was going to be the defining moment, if only Charlie could dig deep enough into Sydney's head to figure out the identity of her missing baby daddy.

"Are you ready?" Charlie asked in a hushed tone and Sydney sucked in a breath.

"As I'll ever be." Sydney replied and let her eyes fall shut. She felt Charlie's claws piercing her skin, tearing through her flesh and muscles.

Charlie continued to press her fingers down, her vision beginning to swim and her body tensing at the thought of hurting the one person who truly had her back. Charlie watched as the colours mixed together, images blurring into odd shapes before Sydney's form came into focus.

 _She was standing in an apartment that seemed oddly familiar yet Charlie couldn't recall being in any apartment with Sydney. She sat at an island, her butt firmly planted on a stool with a strange man sitting next to her. Charlie could only see the back of his head and his outline was fuzzy, not as clear as Sydney's, but that wasn't going to stop her._

 _If this was going to help Sydney remember her child's father, then she was going to do her best and stick it out._

" _I love you." Sydney's voice was soft and firm, a shudder running down Charlie's spine from how genuine and sincere her words were. "Okay, I will always love you."_

 _The man didn't respond, in fact, he didn't even move. Sydney sat on the stool next to his, staring at the side of him, watching, waiting for him to make a move. Charlie held her breath, hoping that Sydney would get his attention. If she could get the man to turn his head, or his body, then Charlie could get a good look at him._

" _You're not someone that I should've fallen in love with." He replied, his voice sounding slightly muffled, not giving her anything to work off of. Who was this man, who was he and why was he so important? Why couldn't anyone remember who he was?_

" _You say that like it's a bad thing." Sydney smiled at the man, letting out a soft laugh too. She seemed happy, truly happy, and yet now she couldn't even remember his name. "I'm a pretty cool gal."_

" _Those aren't the words I would've used."_

" _But you're not denying it." Sydney teased, reaching a hand out and running it down over his shoulder. He flinched but didn't dare turn to face her. "Life has a funny way of working out, I get it, I understand why you're so stuck on the fact that you shouldn't have fallen for me because I didn't think we'd end up together either-"_

" _But we did."_

" _Yeah, and I wouldn't change anything." Sydney lowered her voice and leaned forward, getting closer to him. She dropped her feet down to the floor and stepped towards him, yet he_ _ **still**_ _didn't turn to face her. She lowered her head and rested it on his shoulder, her front draping over his back as she got as close to him as she possibly could. "I'm lucky to have you."_

" _Perhaps you won't think so in the future."_

" _I don't care, I want you, I will always want you Peter."_

Charlie fell backwards and landed on the couch with a light thud. Derek rushed to her side and helped her into a sitting position while Isaac supported her just the same. Sydney's eyes slowly opened revealing her burning red alpha eyes, which were locked on Charlie, who was finally sitting up straight, without help.

Derek backed away from her while Isaac banded his arm around her waist, holding her upright and providing her with a warm and comforting embrace.

"Syd, put those away." Derek instructed calmly, peering at his best friend's eyes. "And tell us what you saw."

"Peter." Sydney said, her voice barely louder than a whisper, her mind reeling, filling to the brim with all the forgotten memories of the man who she had loved, the man that she had mated herself too, the man that would always have her heart. "Peter Hale."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thank you to the lovely Guest, I'm so glad that you like the series!_**

 ** _What did you guys think of the memories? How do you feel about Isaac and Derek playing such important roles and being a part of Sydney's pack dynamics?_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 7** **:**

"Peter?" Derek quipped as he paced in the kitchen, looking at Sydney who was sitting at the table. The twins had ventured down into the basement while Isaac sat in the living room, waiting for Derek to finish before he drove them both to the loft for the night.

Charlie was supposed to be up in her room but it didn't take werewolf super hearing to know that she was sitting in the living room right next to Isaac. It was a wonder that the two of them even managed to spend time apart and Sydney dreaded to think what might have happened if Derek hadn't offered Isaac a room in the loft.

"Peter, yeah." Sydney gave him a nod and sucked in a breath. The baby monitor was residing on the surface of the table in front of her and she was praying that Bruin would start making a noise soon. She didn't know what exactly this conversation with Derek was supposed to entail, all she did know was the sooner he left, the sooner she could be alone with her thoughts.

Sure she could remember his name, and what he was to her, but there were still so many things missing, pieces that were still gone. She needed time to think, time to reminisce and pray that things would come back to her. Yes Peter was Bruin's father, she knew that much, but what had happened to him, if he had been taken, had it happened when she was with him?

God, she hated to think that he had been snatched right out from under her, but it was very possible. Peter easily could've been stolen while she had been with him, and if that _was_ the case, had he sacrificed himself to save her?

"Peter Hale." Derek pressed.

"Yes." Sydney nodded once more and blew out a frustrated breath. "Okay, Peter Hale, my mate, _your_ uncle, at least, I'm pretty sure he's your uncle. Some things are still sort of fuzzy."

"My uncle…" Derek echoed her words and stepped towards the table, stopping in his pacing as he hesitantly lowered himself down to sit in the vacant chair across from her. "I have…I have an uncle."

"Yup, Peter." Sydney supplied, staring at Derek, watching him as he lifted his arms up and ran his hands through his hair, frustration very evident in his movements. "Remembering him is nice, but now we have to figure out how to get him back."

"Right." Derek mumbled and leaned forward, planting his elbows on the table.

She could see it in his face, he was done, he was exhausted, but they still had so much to do, so much to figure out. Sure she wanted to be alone, but she didn't want Derek to give up, which is apparently what was nearly about to happen. She couldn't blame him though, it sounded absurd to her too.

Peter, his uncle, her mate, had been taken, erased from reality, which only served to remind her that she needed to find out how to beat the Ghost Riders. She needed to get him back, if he was even still alive to _get_ back.

Then there was the whole other issue of the person from the phone call. She still couldn't remember who they were, but maybe if she could get Charlie to dive into her head again, maybe-

"It's not going to be easy." Derek said, cutting into her thoughts. "It's not like we can just bait a Ghost Rider and save him from wherever he was taken-"

"What, why not?" Sydney piped up and leveled him with a glare. "That sounds like the perfect solution. We call out to the Ghost Riders, end up letting them take one of us and- what better way to make a jailbreak than from the inside of the prison?"

Derek scoffed at her enthusiasm but he didn't reply right away. There were so many things wrong with her suggestion, so many unknown variables that he didn't trust. What if one of the pack _did_ make it to wherever Peter was, then what? What happened if that was just one step away from death and they never made it back out?

Derek was all for being a part of the pack and doing what was necessary, but he wasn't about to volunteer for a potential suicide mission. Even he wasn't that reckless.

"How about we start off with the fact that we have no idea where Peter is right now. It's very possible that he could be gone, _forever_ , with no way to actually save him. Even if we _did_ managed to get a Ghost Rider to take one of us, who's to say we'd be able to make it back out?" Derek explained.

"Okay, fair point, but still-"

"No 'but still' Syd. That's not even adding in the fact that as soon as whoever is the bait _is_ taken, everyone here won't remember them."

Sydney let out a low whistle and dropped her forehead down against the surface of the table. When a growl of frustration echoed against the wooden tabletop, Derek simply rolled his eyes, hoping that his good friend was finally starting to come to her senses.

Just because she knew the identity of the missing person from her life didn't mean they were going to be able to get him back. There were too many variables, too many possibilities, and the more Derek thought about her idea of willingly getting taken, the more he wondered if his friend was absolutely insane.

It was crazy, even by her standards, and he could recall a few times in the past when Sydney had done some pretty off the wall things.

With another soft growl, she tipped her head sideways so that her ear was pressed against the table, her eyes locking on Derek as she took his words to heart.

He was right, he was absolutely right. She didn't like it, but it was true. Even if their plan worked, even if the Ghost Riders rode off with one of their pack, it wasn't like they'd be able to get help from the rest of them. Once they were taken, there was no way for anyone to remember them, except for using the memory trick.

But that would require someone to feel like someone was missing, and banking on that was a stretch too.

"What other choice do we have though?" Sydney threw out with the hopes that she could convince not only Derek, but herself as well, that they were out of options. Sure she could sit around trying to remember Peter all day and night, but when it came down to it, he was still gone, he'd always _be_ gone, until someone did something to try and help him.

"Just…give me a day or two, maybe we can't come up with a better idea." Derek offered, Sydney lifting her head up and giving him a nod of agreement. "At the very least, maybe we can learn a little more about the Ghost Riders."

"Yes!" She chirped. "I'll get the twins on it as soon as this conversation is over."

"Okay." Derek sighed. "In the meantime-"

"In the meantime I can help out Argent." Sydney cut in.

"Help him with what?"

Sydney leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. She stared at Derek and wondered how much she wanted to divulge to him.

He was generally the voice of reason, but she didn't want him to stifle her ideas any more. While she agreed to give him time, she knew in her heart that no matter what happened, she was going to try and bait a Ghost Rider. If Peter and the mystery caller were missing, and there were others that she knew of, how many people had they taken so far?

Didn't she owe it to them to try and help them, to get them back for their families, even if they were _forgotten_?

"There was a body, at the school." Sydney answered, shrugging as if it was old news, which to her, it was. It was hard to get wrapped up in the criminal goings on in Beacon Hills, especially when so many things continued to happen- so many supernatural things. If Chris Argent was coming back to dig into this specific body though, well didn't that have to mean it was connected to the supernatural.

Plus, Charlie had mentioned smelling a fellow creature. Did that mean that whoever this creature was- were they responsible for the body? Sydney made a mental note to talk to Charlie more about what she sensed, maybe she could get a better idea as to who they should be looking at.

She'd leave it for now though, Charlie had mentioned that she could take care of it, plus what was Sydney supposed to do, go wandering around the school. Like that wouldn't be suspicious, or sketchy, _at all_.

"And you didn't think to mention this _to_ me?" Derek's eyes widened in exasperation and Sydney simply smirked at him in response.

"Slipped my mind."

"It slipped- god damn it Syd." Derek growled and tipped his head back, looking up at the ceiling in order to give himself a few seconds to gather his thoughts. When he let his chin fall and peered back down at her, he took note that she wasn't smirking anymore. "You should tell me these sorts of things."

"I know." She let out a soft sigh. "I'm sorry."

Derek nodded at her, signaling that he understood, _and_ that he believed her. She sounded genuine in her apology and maybe it very well did slip her mind. Hell, they were dealing with a whole other bunch of crap, and that wasn't even getting into the fact that there were Ghost Riders going around erasing people from reality.

She deserved a bit of a break, and Derek was going to give it to her.

"Okay, so Argent's on his way here, and you're going to meet up with him?" Derek pressed. "Did you want company?"

"Well, I don't know, I guess that depends on what he wants to do. I think I can cover this by myself for right now but I promise that if it gets to be even the tiniest bit dangerous, then I'll call you."

"Good."

Sydney let out another soft sigh and relaxed into her chair. She peered across the table at Derek and wondered what on earth she had done to deserve having him as a friend. While they had gone through their fair share of rough patches, he had always been there for her when she needed him, and she'd like to think that she'd always be there for him if he _needed_ her.

They were best friends, they had known each other since childhood, nothing was going to separate them.

"Have you thought any more about joining the pack?" Sydney asked after a few beats of silence.

"I thought about it…sort of." Derek admitted, a sheepish look on his face.

"And?" She leaned in forward, lowering her voice.

"I don't know Syd." He shook his head. "It's nothing against you, it's just…it's a personal thing. I don't know if I'm ready for something like that."

"You do know that you can _leave_ my pack any time you want. I'm not going to hold you hostage." Sydney pointed out. "What if you just joined temporarily, it could always become more permanent later on-"

"Syd." Derek broke in. "You're my best friend, and I'd do anything for you, I just…I just need a little more time to think."

Sydney nodded her head in understanding, "okay, well, the offer will always stand Derek."

Derek tipped his head sideways and took her words to heart. He pushed his chair back and stood up, tucking it back under the table. Shooting her one last look, Derek left the room, scooting into the living room and tapping Isaac on the shoulder, motioning for him that it was time to go.

Charlie patted Isaac on the knee and remained sitting while her friend stood up, joining Derek. The two males headed for the door and Sydney was already there to meet them. She pulled it open and smiled at Derek, hoping that everything would work out eventually.

She needed to get to Peter, she needed to figure out who the mystery caller was and she needed his help to do it, but she wasn't going to push him, not when there was so much going on that was riding on them.

"Be careful." Sydney murmured and Derek lifted his hand up, running it down her bicep in a comforting gesture.

"Same to you."

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

It wasn't that not knowing who the person bothered her the most, no, what bothered her the most was that she had no idea how to get to Peter and this person without going directly at the Ghost Riders.

They were a threat, a very _real_ threat, but she knew that they could take them on, she knew that they could figure something out. Sydney had faced an alpha pack, berserkers, Dread doctors, and she was still alive, she was relatively unscathed, so why would these Ghost Riders be any big deal?

They were just another obstacle, another set of bad guys standing in the way of peace for Beacon Hills.

It didn't matter though, she knew that she was going to give it her all, she was going to do everything in her power to save Peter and bring him back to her. Bruin deserved to grow up with a father and Peter deserved to know the tot.

When Charlie poked her head into Sydney's bedroom, she straightened up on her bed and stared back at her. Bruin was slumbering in her crib still but Sydney had checked on her as soon as she had ventured into her room. Charlie raised a hand in surrender but then proceeded to wave her alpha forward.

Stealing a quick glance over at Bruin's crib, Sydney made her way to her feet and began heading for the door. She stopped halfway towards Charlie though and looked back at the crib.

The crib, huh, well…she could remember that the sheriff had given it to her but…but why? Was she really that close with the man who was the highest law enforcement officer there was in Beacon Hills.

"Syd?" Charlie whispered and Sydney turned her attention back to her beta, shaking off the uneasy feeling for the time being. She'd have to talk to the sheriff later, and ask him why exactly he had given her the crib to start with, but for right that moment, Charlie wanted her, and she didn't know why.

Carrying on to the door, Sydney stepped out into the hall and let Charlie take up a stance in front of her. She looked into her beta's eyes and waited for her to speak again, but Charlie merely stole glances at the door to her own bedroom.

What the hell was going on? What exactly did Charlie need to talk to her about?

"Charlie…" Sydney trailed off, her voice low so as not to disturb her sleeping baby. "You okay?"

"Yeah." She let out a soft sigh and Sydney set her arm around Charlie's shoulders, leading the girl into her bedroom.

The two of them sat down on the edge of Charlie's bed and once they were situated, Charlie turned to face Sydney and leaned into her, hugging her tight and relishing in the feeling of her arms around. Sydney wasn't going to let go of her either, it felt too good, too nice to know that her beta cared this much about her to have come and gotten her.

There had to be more to this thought, surely Charlie didn't just want a hug? Not that Sydney was complaining.

"I don't want…ugh, this is…Syd," Charlie paused and sucked in a deep breath, letting the air fill her lungs, "we have to do something, right? We have to help the people that were erased."

"I know." Sydney nodded her agreement. "And we will, but we're going to take a day or so to come up with a solid plan."

"What if we don't?" Charlie retorted. "How many people out there have already been taken, Syd, I can't…not knowing is eating me up."

"Not knowing?" Sydney cocked her head sideways in confusion. "Not knowing what exactly?"

"Not knowing who else we've already forgotten." Charlie answered. "Maybe we have more pack out there that were stolen from us, maybe we have friends or family-"

"Maybe there's more people who have been erased than we know." Sydney cut in, bowing her head. Charlie was right, she was absolutely right.

How were they supposed to know how many people were already missing? It wasn't like they could just go around town asking if people had noticed their friends gone because the Ghost Riders took _everything_ of a person, including other people's memories, other people who might know them.

The more she thought about what Charlie had just said, the more Sydney thought that being taken by the Ghost Riders was starting to sound like a good plan. She could find all the missing people, she could make sure they were safe, but most importantly, she could let them know that there were people trying to figure things out.

Derek had been right too though. There were far too many unknowns for her to just jump right into it. She was going to do what he asked, she was going to let him have a day or two to try and come up with a plan of their own, a _good_ plan, a _solid_ plan, a plan that would actually help them and not wind up causing more casualties.

"More than Peter." Charlie threw out. "And we can't forget whoever it was you were talking to on the phone."

"No kidding." Sydney scoffed. "I just wish I knew more, like I wish…fuck, I don't know what I'm talking about. I wish that the Ghost Riders never came here."

"You and me both." Charlie murmured.

"I guess just keep your eyes peeled at school, yeah?"

"For what Syd, anyone who's taken is literally erased." Charlie lifted her head up and locked her eyes with her alpha. "I wouldn't be able to remember anything about them."

"You could still keep your eyes peeled. Maybe you might see something, or hear something, don't you have friends at school?"

"Like Scott?" Charlie countered but Sydney furrowed her eyebrows together.

Not Scott, no, that wasn't who she was thinking of, but the name she wanted to say wasn't coming to her, in fact, she couldn't even picture the person she was thinking about. Scott though, she remembered Scott, he was a true alpha and no doubt he'd be concerned with the Ghost Riders too, unless they had managed to gallop through Beacon Hills without attracting his attention.

"Scott, sure." Sydney gave a nod of her head.

"Or were you talking about Lydia and Malia?"

"Malia" Sydney repeated the last name that Charlie had said and let it linger on her tongue. Malia…Malia…Malia, Malia the werecoyote? It wasn't that she was forgetting Malia, it was more than that, it was almost like there was something important about the girl, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. "Malia…"

"No offense but saying her name over and over again isn't going to do anything." Charlie pointed out. "Sorry to burst your bubble."

"Malia." Sydney said it one more time and widened her eyes, breaking out into a giggle as she bothered Charlie. "Malia, Malia, Malia."

"Stop." Charlie rolled her eyes but Sydney nudged her with her elbow.

"Malia Hale." Sydney said and suddenly Charlie went rigid, while Sydney's heart began to pound in her chest.

"What?" Charlie shot back and Sydney curled her fingers into a fist.

"Malia Hale…she's Peter's..." Sydney said softly. "She's Peter's daughter."

"Whoa."

Sydney sucked in a deep breath and tried to force herself to relax a little bit but it didn't seem to work. Malia was Peter's daughter, Peter was missing and Sydney was left behind in a house with a pack that she wasn't entirely sure wasn't missing bodies of its own.

She peeled her arm away from Charlie and grabbed the girl's wrist, squeezing it tight. Charlie didn't need to be asked and without putting it off for a second, she forced her claws out and let Sydney lifted her hand up to the back of her neck. Charlie felt the flesh there and lined up the tips of her talons with Sydney's spine.

"Syd…" Charlie trailed off, not entirely sure she was confident enough to be doing this on her own. "Are you sure?"

"No but I'm not going to sit here and wait for something to happen." Sydney answered and ran her hand over Charlie's fingers, making sure they were in the right spot. "If I wind up paralyzed, or dead, that's on me. Just make sure Bruin's looked after."

"Syd, no, you can't-"

"I know you can do this." Sydney cut her off and leveled the girl with a stern look. "Just go slow and try to stay calm."

Charlie nodded her understanding and Sydney reluctantly peeled her hand away from Charlie's. She sat stick still, not even cringing as Charlie's claws began ripping through her skin, piercing into the flesh on the back of her neck.

Charlie continued to go slowly, fighting off the urge to shudder at the feel of Sydney's blood trickling over the tips of her fingers. Her alpha wanted her to do this and that's what she was going to do. She'd go slow, like Sydney told her, and she'd do her best. She just needed to stay calm and focused.

Her vision started to swim before she could react and when she was sucked into Sydney's head, she let herself go.

 _When the fog cleared, she spotted Sydney sitting on the step of the front porch to the house they were currently living in. There was no one else in sight, no sounds, nothing, to let Charlie know whether or not her alpha was alone. The sun was starting to set and the sky was getting darker, but Sydney didn't seem afraid._

 _Whatever she was doing, it wasn't something that bothered her. Maybe she was just sitting there, enjoying the view from her front porch._

 _A loud rumbling noise caught Charlie's attention though and she faced the road, watching as a beat up old jeep struggled to make its way towards the house. Looking back to her alpha, she watched as Sydney's eyes lit up and a smile graced her face. This person, whoever was in the jeep, was someone that Sydney knew._

 _Sydney slowly rose up to her feet and ventured down the steps so that her feet were firmly on the ground. She didn't budge as she watched the jeep getting closer and closer, but Charlie could sense her alpha's calmness._

 _It wasn't until the jeep finally pulled into the driveway that anyone made a move and it was Sydney who did it first, walking across the front path towards the edge of the asphalt, stopping only to plant her hands on her hips._

" _Glad to see you made it back in one piece." Sydney teased but Charlie still couldn't lock her eyes onto the person in the jeep. She struggled to focus her attention but there was no one there, just an outline of a person. "Come on, tell me all about your little trip to see Kira."_

" _It was good." The person called back out to Sydney and when the door to the jeep opened, a lanky teenager stepped out, planting his feet on the ground. Charlie could make him out clearly now, but that still didn't mean she recognized him, though he did look vaguely familiar, as if she had seen him before._

" _Your jeep made it there and back without falling apart." Sydney remarked and took a step closer to the teenager. Who was he? Who was this kid standing in front of her alpha? "I'm a little surprised."_

" _I will take care of this jeep until the day I die."_

" _Oh Stiles, if that's the case, why don't you let me loan you some money, get it fixed up properly."_

 _Stiles? What the…who the hell had a name like that? Stiles, Stiles, okay, now she was doing what she had distinctly reprimanded Sydney for, she was repeating his name, hoping that something would come to her. Stiles though, how could anyone forget a name as unique as that?_

 _Stiles made a move to respond but before any words left his mouth, Charlie's vision began to swim. She didn't know what to do, or if she was supposed to try and fight it off, but she let it take her._

Popping her eyes open, she came face to face with her alpha, who's eyes were glowing red. She didn't need to look in a mirror to know that her eyes were glowing too. But Stiles…Stiles…come on, why couldn't she-

"Stiles!" Sydney cried out and grabbed Charlie's arms, staring directly into her eyes. "Oh my god, that's who was on the phone, that's who…he's always the one to figure this stuff out."

She sounded dejected, utterly dejected, and what exactly was Charlie supposed to offer her as comfort. If Stiles was always the one to figure things out- wait, Stiles…yes, Stiles, he was her friend…he was the one who had welcomed Charlie with open arms when she had headed to school on the very first day.

"We have to get him back." Charlie threw out.

"Wait, you remember him too?" Sydney quipped and Charlie could only nod her head in response, not trusting her voice. "Holy shit."

Holy shit indeed.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts? Do you think Sydney and her pack will be the ones to get to Peter and Stiles?_**

 ** _Thank you to those that reviewed: Snowbeardolphin, 19irene96 and the Guest. I love to hear from you readers, so please leave me your thoughts, concerns, questions...anything really_**


	8. Chapter 8

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 8** **:**

Sydney stood next to Chris in the morgue within the hospital, her mind reeling, wondering what was really going on here. Yes, Isaac had told her that Chris wanted to meet up with her, but this, being _in_ the morgue, wasn't exactly what she had in mind.

Chris seemed to have his own agenda, and she wasn't entirely sure why she was here, but she wasn't about to question it, not out loud anyways. She owed Chris, for Isaac, for lots of things, he was on their side now, he wasn't hunting them, and Sydney was going to do everything in her power to make sure it stayed that way.

But being here with him, being in the morgue between Melissa McCall and Chris Argent, it just rattled her. She had so much else on her mind but she wasn't going to turn down Chris' request for her to be a part of whatever this was. It was important to him, which meant it was important to her, plus they were allies, they worked together, and just because she was missing her mate didn't mean she couldn't help the rest of them out, right?

At the very least, it would help pass the time.

But being in the morgue, standing next to the hunter, was way more intense than she figured. Whatever was going on was enough to draw Chris back to Beacon Hills, it was enough to draw his attention, so how big of a threat were they looking at here, and how much did Chris really know?

"I appreciate you meeting me." Chris said softly, directing his words at Sydney, but she knew that he was just as grateful that Melissa was available. It's certainly saved them some stealthy maneuvers to get down to the morgue, having an employee of the hospital made things so much easier.

"Being down here freaks me out." Sydney murmured and brought her arms up, crossing them over her chest. She could feel the soft leather of her jacket against her palms and felt a slight bit of comfort from it. She was a strong alpha werewolf, this was just a morgue, even if there were dead bodies in the drawers in front of her-

Hell what was she thinking? Dead bodies weren't foreign to her, she could deal with them, she was even responsible for a couple here and there, but the morgue…well she just wasn't that fond of it.

"It's a morgue, it's not meant to be comforting." Chris replied and nodded his head at Melissa, who cocked her head sideways and studied the two of them. Sydney working with Chris, Chris trusting a werewolf, maybe months ago it would've seemed farfetched but now they were on the same side, they were working for the same cause.

Melissa grabbed the handle on the drawer door and pulled it open, the body covered on a silver tray inside. Sydney held her breath and tried not to let the stench of death get to her. She could stand it, for a short amount of time, but she knew she'd reach her breaking point. This guy smelled awful.

Chris took a step forward and helped Melissa pull the sliding tray out, revealing the sheet covered body. Sydney stood back while the other two stood on either side of it, grasping the edges of the sheet up near his head and gently moving it back like a peel of a banana. Sydney shook her head and stepped around to the top of the tray, peering down at the bloodied mess of the back of the man's head.

"Gross." She mumbled and shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. She had been invited here, Chris _wanted_ her here, so whatever the reason, it had something to do with her.

Chris shot her a look of concern but grabbed the dead man's head on either side of his face, covering his ears. He turned it, slowly at first, but when a crack sounded out in the room, the head practically fell to the side.

The wound itself was horrific and grotesque. There were two elongated kidney shaped craters in the man's head, flesh exposed and the edge of the skin pale from blood loss. She could make out the tiniest little fleck marks in the wound but Sydney didn't dare get any closer. This was enough for her to start with, she wasn't going to get all up in some dead guy's head wound.

"I'm going to go with head trauma as the cause of death." Melissa remarked with a small little smirk. Right, yes, that made sense, but what didn't make sense to Sydney was _why_ anyone would make _this_ sort of mark. What was the perpetrator after?

"The skull wasn't just broken. Look here." Chris stated, pointing his fingers along the edge of the wound. Sydney stood up straight but watched as Melissa leaned down to get a better look, a look at what Sydney had already noticed from her stance. "Those are teeth marks."

"Give a whole new meaning to the phrase 'I'll give you a piece of my mind'." Sydney sighed and dared herself to take a step closer, her eyes locking on the wound in order to get a better look. Maybe if she could stand the smell of death long enough, she could lean right in, take a whiff of the wound and catch a scent. It was possible, unlikely but possible, that whoever had done this, had left a piece of them behind, a trackable piece.

"A werewolf?" Melissa quipped and looked from Chris to Sydney, silently asking if she thought it was possible.

Sydney had seen her fair share of werewolf beasts before. She knew that when Peter had been alive he had been a freaky looking mutant alpha- wait, Peter had been an alpha, he had been…an alpha.

Yes, yes she could remember that, she could remember him running around Beacon Hills terrorizing the citizens, and now she could even remember that Peter had gone after Scott, he had been the alpha who had bitten, and _turned_ , Scott McCall. Well that was certainly a nice little tidbit of information to know.

"A werewolf with an unusually powerful set of jaws." Chris countered, catching Sydney's attention. Right, yes, she had more prominent things to be focusing on. Chris had needed her help, and here she was in the morgue with him and Melissa.

"Capable of biting through a human skull?" Melissa questioned.

"I don't see why not." Sydney tossed out casually. Was she the only one who remembered Peter's alpha- of course she was. Yes, that was a stupid slip up on her part, Peter had been taken, at least that was the assumption, which meant that even if she had managed to regain some of her memories of him, other people still continued to forget that he didn't exist. "There's all sorts of weird transformations that werewolves can go through."

"But- to be able to bite through a human skull…" Melissa trailed off, her eyes locked with Sydney, who merely offered up a nod of her head. It was indeed possible, even if Melissa didn't totally agree, Sydney knew that it wasn't hard to believe at all.

"Skulls." Chris corrected and paused, Melissa bringing her eyes up to meet his. Sydney too brought her gaze up, locking it on Chris and waiting for him to continue. "This isn't his first victim."

"What?" Sydney barked at him, eyes wide in disbelief. If this wasn't the first victim, then how come she had no idea that there was even another werewolf out there?

"There are others." Chris replied calmly and straightened up. He dug into the front pocket on his dark jeans and produced his cell phone before stepping around the open drawer and taking up a stance a few feet away. Sydney shot Melissa a curious gaze but the nurse was focused solely on the hunter, her eyes trailing him as he moved across the room.

Okay, okay, she could do this, she could remain calm, she could get all the facts from Chris before jumping to conclusions, right? But this was crazy, there was a serial killing werewolf on the loose and no one thought to warn her?

After a few seconds on his phone, Chris turned the screen towards the two females and showed them what he had been searching for. A woman, a young woman, sprawled out on her stomach, the very same gaping wound on the back of her head that the man in front of her had died from.

Right, this wasn't insane at all. Who the hell was going around killing people, cracking their skulls open and _why_?

Melissa wandered over to him, Sydney following her lead, and then reached out and took hold of the phone, Chris giving Melissa a nod of permission as the older woman began flipping through more and more photos of the dead girl. Sydney kept her attention on the screen, wondering if the threat was bigger than she originally believed. Was this going to take away her focus from trying to help Peter, and Stiles?

"Denise Novak: found at a campsite, the back of her head cracked open." Chris stated, his voice much calmer than Sydney would've figured. It was obvious that this man wasn't in unfamiliar waters, but still, didn't the sight of mangled bodies bother him, even just a little bit?

"The size and bite pattern appear to match." Melissa pointed out, checking the layout of the wound in the photo before peering back over towards the dead man that they had all come here to see.

"Seems fair to assume that whoever took a bite out of Denise did the same to Mazzara." Chris threw out.

"So, a serial killer?" Sydney supplied and let out a frustrated sigh. "And not _just_ a serial killer, a serial killer who doubles as a werewolf, _with_ super hardcore jaws."

"I'm leaning towards yes." Chris flashed her a reassuring look and Sydney tucked her hands into the pockets on her leather jacket. She held her breath and tried to remain calm, but it wasn't really working.

"That's a comforting thought." Sydney said, sarcasm lacing her tone. It sounded terrifying, how many more people were going to have to die before they managed to get a bead on whoever was doing this?

No, this whole situation was just icing on the cake, cake that she didn't even want. As if she didn't have enough to worry about at that moment with the Ghost Riders and how many people were currently missing that they _knew_ of- no, now they were throwing a serial killing werewolf into the mix. Why _had_ she come back here, why hadn't she just stayed in Colorado when she had the chance?

To be fair, she had a reason, she had wanted to come back for Peter, but yet, the more time she spent within the town limits, the more shit she found herself dealing with; the Dread Doctors, chimeras, Theo Raeken, the Beast, and that wasn't even getting into how she had stumbled upon Parrish in the basement of the creepy house the very first night she had made it back to Beacon Hills, where he had barely even been alive…yes, there was way too much going on for her liking.

But she wasn't going to abandon the town was she? No, no she wasn't. Stiles needed her help, _Peter_ needed her help, and as soon as they were back where they belonged, then she'd get ready to head back to Colorado, hopefully with Peter by her side.

"It's odd…even for Beacon Hills." Melissa said, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. She turned her head and looked at Chris, who was moving around the room. "Why bite off the back of someone's head and not take anything?"

"Well, something was taken from Denise: pineal gland." Chris explained. He closed in on the body, Melissa rushing over to stand next to him.

Sydney hesitated but followed their lead, taking up a stance at the side of the man's body. She hated the idea that he had died because of a supernatural creature, yes, why did there need to be murderous werewolves, why couldn't they all just be nice, and friendly, and helpful?

"Her pineal gland?" Melissa questioned but Chris didn't say a word in response.

"Sounds special." Sydney muttered and lifted a hand up, covering her mouth as she fought off the overwhelming scent of dead body that was currently flooding her nostrils. "What's a pineal gland?

"It's right in the center of the brain." Melissa half answered but Sydney wasn't too concerned with her lack of explanation. It being in the middle of the brain was good enough for her, she didn't _really_ want to know any more, but if someone, or _something_ , had gone through this much trouble to get to something in the middle of someone's head, then it was worth trying to figure out.

"Was anything missing from Mazzara's brain?" Chris pressed, Melissa reaching out and grabbing the autopsy report on the nearby table. She flipped through the pages and Sydney stole a chance to look closer at the man's wound.

It was huge, it was littered with teeth marks, but who had caused such damage? Why had his head been attacked, what did whoever did this want from the dead man on the table?

"The report doesn't say, but there's one way to know for sure." Melissa explained, setting the report down and nabbing a sharp silver scalpel off the tray near the man's head.

"Here." Chris offered her a pair of rubber gloves and Sydney took them, studying them as the blue latex hung from her hand. Reluctantly she pulled the gloves on over her hands but didn't make a move to help them, no this was all on their shoulders, plus, even if she _did_ want to help, it's not like she had any extensive medical knowledge.

"What…what are we looking for?" Sydney asked hesitantly and Melissa flashed her a reassuring smile. Well that was the tiniest bit more comforting, at least she had the decency to try and make her feel better about what they were doing, even if it didn't really work.

"It's what we're not looking for." Melissa answered. "If the pineal gland is gone, then…well we know they're connected."

"And that the same werewolf killed both people." Chris added.

"Right, so we're making sure that we are looking at _one_ serial killing werewolf instead of _two_ crazy murdering werewolves." Sydney nodded her understanding. "I hope you're not really expecting me to touch anything, like brain matter or anything. Neurosurgery is not one of my strong suits."

"I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do." Chris quipped, his tone bordering on light and teasing, his eyes sparkling at her use of the word 'neurosurgery'. "I just figured that since you're an alpha, you'd have no qualms about getting your hands dirty."

"Dirty, no, but covered in someone else's brain…that bothers me just a little bit." Sydney replied with a shake of her head. Stupid Chris making her feel lame with just one statement. She could do this, she could do what they needed her to do, but she wasn't going to just jump into the guy's brain, _only_ if she had to.

"I'd be a little concerned if it _didn't_ bother you." Melissa remarked, Sydney letting out a soft sigh of relief. "Let's do this."

Sydney watched on in awe as Melissa dove right in to looking at the man's injury. She drove a scalpel into the center of the wound and carried on dragging the blade through his skin, slicing and dicing right into his brain. When she had enough leverage, Melissa set the blade down and gripped the edge of the bite marks, peeling the man's scalp away revealing more of his skull, which was cracked and broken beneath the surface.

"Gross." Sydney mumbled as Melissa drove her hands into the mess that had once been the victim's brain. Squishing noises and fleshy sounds erupted in her ears and Sydney let a shiver course through her body, wondering just how far she was willing to participate. When Melissa grabbed a pair of clean forceps from the nearby tray, she shuddered at the thought of where those were going to go.

Standing by, watching, was enough for her, but she didn't figure that she had been invited simply to be an observer. Chris had requested her presence, which meant that he probably wanted her help.

"The coroner found damage to both of Mazzara's cerebral hemispheres but assumed that it was sustained from the wound." Melissa announced, bringing Sydney's thoughts back to the task at hand. She gripped the forceps hard and poked at the layer of skin that she had just peeled back slightly. Once she had the tips of the forceps where she wanted them, she squeezed them together and felt them click into place.

"Oh dear god." Sydney gagged and Melissa promptly offered the forceps to Chris to hold. "That's…that's disgusting."

"Hold this." Melissa requested and the man took hold of the medical tools without a second thought. Why weren't these people a little more grossed out by what was going on, why weren't they a little more concerned with how _not_ normal all this was?

"Okay." Chris nodded his head in understanding and held the forceps steady, the layer of skin covering the man's skull remained pulled away from the bone.

Sydney still couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on exactly. They had snuck down to the morgue, they had pulled out a body without permission and now they were performing their own sort of makeshift autopsy. What the hell was wrong with them? And why wasn't she a little more worried about the importance of all this?

Was now a good time to bring up the missing duo of Peter and Stiles, would Chris even care- of course he would, he was a hunter, this was the sort of thing he _should_ be concerned with, but then again, it wasn't like Peter was high on a lot of peoples' lists of priority. He was a bit of an asshole on a good day, and she couldn't be sure but she thought that maybe Peter and Chris didn't really get along.

Stiles though, Stiles was just a human, at least as far as she could recall. If the Ghost Riders took him, would he be able to come back the same way that he had disappeared or did they- oh god, did they _do_ something to the people that they took?

Maybe her focus, for the time being, while she was with Chris, should be on the dead guy and seeing if his pineal gland was still intact. Yes, okay, she could do that, she could focus on the task at hand until she was back home, then she could get back to figuring out a way to get her hands on Peter and Stiles, and express her concerns to the rest of her pack about what really happened to a person once they were taken by the Ghost Riders.

With her eyes locked on the man's exposed innards of his head, Sydney watched as Melissa lifted her finger up and shoved it into the middle of the man's brain. She fought off the urge to gag but suppressed it long enough to remind herself that she was worried about what they were going to find, or more importantly, _not_ find.

If his pineal gland _was_ missing, then they had a murderous werewolf on their hands and surely that was something that Chris could handle, with her help maybe. They were allies after all, and they worked together when they needed to, so why was she so adamant about keeping the Ghost Riders to herself?

Was it because she knew she was Peter's only real hope, or was it because she didn't want Chris to figure out her plan to get captured and stop her? Couldn't he maybe help them come up with a better plan?

"Wow. Mazzara's pineal gland is missing." Melissa piped up. Sydney rolled her shoulders back and reminded herself of why she was here. She'd maybe talk to Chris about the whole Ghost Riders later but for right now, she was going to do her best to keep her attention on what they had come here to do.

"You know…you know how to tell?" Sydney pressed, her voice wavering, her tone nervous. She hated the picture in front of her, Melissa's fingers in the middle of the man's head, but she wasn't as opposed to it as she was mere seconds ago. If she could confirm that it was just one insane werewolf and not a bunch of them, that made Sydney feel a little better.

Taking on one werewolf was hard but doable. Taking on a pack of them…well she didn't want to know if her own pack was enough to stop something like that. She had faith in them all but she didn't know anyone in her group that had jaws strong enough to crack through a human skull.

She didn't want to see any of them get hurt, she didn't want to see any of them _die_. So yes, one werewolf sounded much nicer to deal with than more than one.

Freeing her hands from the man's head, Melissa let out a soft sigh and rested her palms against the edge of the table.

"It's the size of a pea. Why kill for it?" Melissa continued to speak and Sydney offered a shrug. Like she had any real idea what importance the pineal gland held. Until today she didn't even know it existed.

"The pineal gland is believed to be the seed of the soul; a conduit to express our souls through physical actions." Chris explained, but it didn't clear anything up for Sydney. She moved her eyes over to him and stared, trying to decipher what he had just said. So someone was taking the pineal glands…because they were believed to be the seeds of souls?

What exactly did that mean? God, the more she got involved with the supernatural, the more confused she felt. Why couldn't it ever just be something simple, why couldn't it just be something normal, something that the Sheriff or Parrish could take care of?

"So someone or something is biting open heads to what? Steal souls?" Melissa provided.

"Looks that way, but the real question is why?" Chris countered.

"Holy shit." Sydney blew the words out and even let out a low whistle. "I can…I can get Ethan and Aidan to look into this, see if they can't find anything out on soul stealing werewolves, or maybe even just more mythological meanings for the pineal gland."

"That's good." Chris nodded his head. "Would you be willing to come out with me one night while I attempt to track this thing?"

Sydney tipped her head sideways in confusion and suddenly realized one of the big reasons why she had been asked to join them. She was a strong alpha, she could pick up scents that he could only dream of, and she could help him figure out who was doing this.

She was useful to Chris, more useful than she originally thought, but did she want to go out with him at night and attempt to track down a werewolf with a powerful set of jaws?

"Can I bring Derek?" Sydney countered and slowly peeled the latex gloves off her hand, stepping over towards the garbage can and dropping them down inside. "He can help too."

"Derek Hale?"

"Yes, he's currently _in_ Beacon Hills, Isaac's staying with him- didn't Isaac mention any of this to you?"

Chris opened his mouth to respond but didn't say a word, instead, he merely shook his head no. Sydney wondered what sort of relationship he had with Isaac, wasn't he worried about the kid's wellbeing? Or maybe he figured that Sydney was there to watch his back, to look out for him while Chris was gone.

Isaac was old enough to take care of himself, for the most part, so maybe Chris had let him try to make it on his own. Whatever the reason, Sydney wasn't going to push it, so long as _she_ knew that Isaac was okay.

"Call me and let me know when you plan on going out, I'll talk to Derek when I get back home." Sydney supplied. "We'll help figure this shit storm out."

"Will do."

And boy what a shit storm it was going to be.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts?_**


	9. Chapter 9

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 9** **:**

Charlie wasn't sure if Isaac was with her doing homework because he liked doing it or simply because it wasn't like he had other stuff to do. They were friends, _more_ than friends even, but still, it wasn't like he had to stick around when Derek came over, brining Isaac with him. Isaac could've stuck with Derek, he could've gone out to the backyard with the twins and worked away at some training moves, but he chose to spend his time sitting in the uncomfortable kitchen chair next to her.

Currently working on English homework, something that Charlie was decent at, she continued to let her mind wander to other things, things like Sydney and the whole idea of the Ghost Riders erasing people. She had been the one to go into Sydney's head, more than once, in order to bring out the memories of the missing pair of Stiles and Peter.

She felt like she had contributed, she felt like she had been a valuable piece of the pack, she had felt like she was finally advancing, like being a part of Sydney's group was a good decision on her part. It wasn't like she had really questioned it before, but up until recently, she hadn't felt like she really deserved to be involved with a pack with members as ferocious as Sydney and the twins.

"You okay?" Isaac asked in a low tone and when Charlie turned her attention to him, she forced a smile onto her face and gave him a tiny nod. "You sure, you seem like you're a million miles away."

"I'm fine." Charlie murmured and gripped her pen tighter, pressing the tip against the first line of the page on the notebook. "I just…I've got a lot on my mind, this whole Ghost Rider thing is confusing."

"How?" Isaac pressed. "They steal people, erasing everything that belonged to them and all of the memories that they're a part of."

"But it's confusing, right, like for example, if someone gets taken, and I lose all my memories of them, would I also lose any memories that are with people that I only know because of them?" Charlie questioned but when she noticed the look in Isaac's eye, she knew that she had lost him. Okay, maybe there was a better way to pose the question, maybe…maybe she had no idea how to get her point across without confusing the poor boy more.

"Say that again but this time try English." Isaac joked, Charlie letting out a little laugh at his words. "I think maybe I sort of get what you're trying to say, but I'm not totally sure if I do."

"What if I use Bruin as an example? For instance, if the Ghost Riders ended up taking Syd, would I still understand my relationship with her or would I just look at Bruin and think 'who the hell does this baby belong to and why is she anywhere near me', does that make a bit more sense?" Charlie explained.

Isaac cocked his head sideways and considered what she was trying to get at. He definitely understood more what she was referring to but it was still a huge unknown in his head. Confusing was just one word for it, but Isaac knew it was more than that, it was not knowing how the disappearance of people really played with memories.

What happened when the erased person made it back, _if_ they ever managed to get back and if they did, what would they come back to? Would people remember them once they showed up again or would it be like walking around a group of strangers?

"You're thinking way too much about this." Isaac mumbled and leaned back in the chair, tipping his head up and staring at the ceiling.

"Maybe you're not thinking about this enough." She countered with a chuckle and let her eyes wander over the questions in her English textbook, the very questions that she was supposed to have answered for the next day's class. "Have you tried talking to Derek about any of this lately?"

"Any of this, as in what exactly?"

"The Ghost Riders, the fact that they took Peter Hale…you remember who Peter Hale is, don't you?" Charlie turned the topic of conversation to something a little less theoretical for his benefit.

"Vaguely. I remember that he was dead when I first met Derek." Isaac answered. "I can remember Derek mentioning something about him finding a way to bring himself back to life but in all honesty, I don't think I ever had that much to do with Peter Hale before he was erased."

"So you don't really know much about him?"

"No." Isaac brought his head back down and looked at Charlie's notebook before shaking his head no. He sucked in a deep breath and remained silent, listening as footsteps echoed from the front porch. Charlie tensed up too but Isaac knew that it was just Sydney, returning home from the morgue, which is where she had been required to be by Chris Argent.

Charlie shot Isaac a knowing look and started to scrawl her answer to the English question she was working on down on the notebook paper. By the time Sydney made her way into the house and into the kitchen, Charlie had it almost completely answered, Isaac watching her hand move smoothly as she wrote out words that would form her answer.

"Yo." Sydney said and dropped her butt down into one of the remaining vacant chairs at the table. "You're such a nerd."

"Because I do my homework? First of all, dad would get really upset if I didn't get relatively decent grades and second of all, what was I supposed to do tonight?" Charlie leveled a glare on her alpha and Sydney rolled her eyes in response.

"I overheard there was going to be a party at Scott's house." Isaac tossed out. "We could've gone to that."

While she had known about the party, Charlie hadn't given it much thought. She didn't care to go and join a bunch of the lacrosse players at Scott's house when he wasn't even going to be there, no, he was supposed to be somewhere else, plus the last time she had gone out and had fun, she had ended up at Sinema and battled the Dread Doctors.

Being at home, with the twins to look over her, sounded great in her mind.

"Did you _want_ to go to that?" Charlie huffed, knowing that if Isaac _had_ wanted to go, she wouldn't have turned it down. She liked hanging out with him, it didn't matter where they were, she just preferred the safety of her own home. "If you did, you should've mentioned it earlier-"

"No, no I don't care. I like being here, just with…with you. Parties don't matter to me, they never really mattered to me. One time I was at a rave and I nearly got killed by a Kanima so-"

"I remember that." Sydney snorted, breaking into Isaac's train of thought. "Sort of…I heard about it, I wasn't actually there, but either way, I'm glad you two are here, safe and sound."

Charlie gave her alpha a nod of understanding and when she peered over at Isaac, he was smiling softly at Sydney too. Yes, Charlie might not have liked homework, or staying home when everyone else was at a party, but she appreciated that Sydney liked her to be somewhere safe, somewhere she didn't have to worry about her, plus having Isaac with her, in some place more private than a party, was definitely nice.

"How was the meet up?" Isaac inquired and lifted his hands up, pressing his palms against the surface of the table, drumming his fingertips nervously. "Did you find anything interesting?"

"Only that there's a serial killer werewolf out there on the loose cracking peoples' skulls open and stealing their pineal glands." Sydney explained but only received looks of utter confusion from the two youngsters at the table. "Oh uh, where exactly did you want me to start?"

"A serial killer werewolf?" Charlie echoed her words but continued to look at her with confusion. "Does this have anything to do with the body at the school?"

"Uh, I don't know." Sydney shrugged. "Mazzara, that was the guy that we went to see in the morgue. Is that the dead guy's name? Because that was _my_ dead guy's name."

"I have no idea." Charlie answered with a shrug of her own. "But you said serial killer werewolf, maybe it has something to do with the supernatural I smelled at school?"

Sydney let out another snort and straightened up in her chair. This was all becoming too much and she definitely needed to sleep on it for the night, let everything sink in. She wanted to figure out her priorities and currently she was leaving Peter at the top. If she could get him back, if she could save him from the Ghost Riders hold, then she'd have another ally, another person to help them, and wouldn't that be for the better?

"Don't go getting ahead of yourself." Sydney mumbled and crossed her arms over her chest. "Just let me sit on this for a little while, okay?"

"Yeah, sure." Charlie acquiesced. "Just let me know if you need my help with anything."

Sydney gave her a nod and hesitantly rose up to her feet, giving her beta a slap on the back of the shoulder before wandering over towards the fridge. She pulled the door open and grabbed a bottle of water, clutching it in her hands as she let the door fall shut.

"Derek, where exactly is he?" Sydney asked, looking at the two sitting at the table.

"Wherever the twins are." Isaac answered nonchalantly.

"And you two are good?" Sydney pressed. "There isn't anything that you need?"

"Privacy." Charlie chuckled, clearly teasing.

"Okay." Sydney let out a laugh. "Be safe you two."

Charlie bit back her words and let her alpha walk away, instead choosing to focus her attention on Isaac, who was staring at Sydney's retreating form. Reaching out a hand, Charlie ran her fingers down the side of Isaac's neck and drew his attention towards her. Before he had a chance to realize what she was doing, she leaned in, closing the space between them and gingerly pressed her lips against his.

Isaac relaxed at the action and his own hands came out, cupping the back of her head and holding Charlie steady in front of him. After a few seconds of the softest kiss he had ever experienced, he reluctantly pulled away and peered into her eyes, a smile gracing his face.

"I don't need to go to parties, not when I'd rather have you to myself." Isaac teased and Charlie's cheeks reddened as she blushed.

"Thanks, I'd rather be here with you too." Charlie replied, a matching smile on her face. "I'm glad you came back to Beacon Hills."

"Me too."

Isaac extended his hand out and rested it on her knee, settling in closer to her side as he rested his chin on her shoulder. She let out a contented sigh, relaxed into the chair and carried on writing the answer to the question she was working on.

No, it could _not_ get any better than this.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"Derek." Sydney mumbled his name as she clutched her water bottle in her hand, heading into the living room in search of the rest of her pack.

She wasn't that surprised to find Derek sitting on the end of the couch with Bruin in his hold while the twins were on the other side of the couch, laptops open on the coffee table while they searched for any sort of valuable information that would help them.

Sydney marched into the living room and dropped down onto the floor in front of Derek, resting her head on his knee and peering up at him, a tired look on her face. He forced a smile at her but glanced down at Bruin, who was looking up at him with wide, wondrous eyes.

"Can I ask you for a favour?" Sydney started, directing her attention to Derek and _only_ Derek.

"Sure, what is it?" Derek countered and nodded his chin at Bruin, silently offering to hand the girl over if Sydney wanted to hold her. Sydney shook her head no but reached a hand out, letting Bruin wrap her tiny little fingers around her thumb and grip it tight.

"Argent asked if I'd go out hunting with him, I asked if you'd be welcome to join us, so I guess I want to make sure that you know that I want you to go with us."

"Hunting what exactly?" Derek narrowed his eyes in on Sydney and she sucked in an anxious breath.

"Hey Aidan, Ethan, you can listen to this part too." Sydney announced but kept her eyes locked on Derek. "Apparently there's a werewolf going around cracking peoples' heads open and stealing their pineal glands."

"You want us to look into that?" Aidan quipped and Sydney finally peeled her eyes off Derek and looked at the twins. "Is this a priority?"

"Maybe one of you can stay on the Ghost Riders and the other can go into werewolves needing to steal pineal glands; according to Argent, theiy're seeds of the soul." Sydney explained as best as she could. "Does that make sense?"

"And this is what he's hunting, this is what you want me to help you with, is this mysterious werewolf?" Derek pressed. "I can do that."

"Wait, really?" Sydney's eyes widened in surprise and Derek gave her a nod. She let out a soft sigh of relief and relaxed against Derek's leg, her head still residing against his knee. "God I'm sorry I keep leaving Bruin with you guys-"

"Nope, don't start that. We adore her." Ethan piped up. "Bruin's an amazing little girl, we love looking after her, in fact, we love that you trust us enough to leave her with us while you go and take care of what you need to take care of."

Sydney bowed her head, letting his words sink in. He was right, he had a point, it must be nice for them to know that she trusted them enough to leave her child in their care. What more could she really give them, it was good enough for them so it was good enough for her.

She adored having the twins in her pack, she loved that they were there when she needed them and she knew she could count on them when the going got tough. Ethan had gone out and shadowed Charlie when they had first arrived in Beacon Hills and Sydney had appreciated every second of that. When Aidan had suggested going out and tracking down who he believed was Deucalion, she had been ecstatic that he trusted her enough to let her in on what they were doing so willingly.

They were pack, they were family, and she knew that she could count on them, no matter what.

"Speaking of Bruin," Derek started and paused, giving Sydney the chance to move away from his legs. She slipped up onto the couch and curled up against his side, peering down at her baby girl. "What happens to her? If you go through with this crazy idea to get taken by the Ghost Riders, what happens to her?"

Sydney took her bottom lip between her teeth and considered his question. It was fair, it was warranted too, but she didn't know how to answer him. If she was erased, then Bruin would be without either of her parents, and then what would happen to her?

Would Derek and the twins even recognize who she was, would she be looked after or would she be forgotten too, left on her own with no one to look out for her?

Well this certainly complicated things, but it didn't necessarily change her mind, it just meant she needed to put some sort of protocols in place. She'd have to write out who Bruin was, or at the very least, that she was to be taken care of by either Derek or the twins. Would she have to get someone else to write it though, if she wrote out instructions, would her handwriting disappear when she did?

Oh god, this was all so complicated, there were so many things that she had to consider and even if she considered them, it didn't mean they were going to come to light. Maybe letting herself get taken by the Ghost Riders was starting to look like a shitty plan, maybe she would have to seriously consider something else.

"We'll know who she is." Ethan admitted. "Won't we? Only Syd would be erased, we'd still know that Bruin is part of the pack."

"I don't know." Sydney shrugged, wrapping her hands around Derek's arm. "I have no idea how this works."

"Okay, well, if Peter was erased, it didn't really affect Bruin, right?" Aidan pointed out.

"Right." Sydney replied hesitantly, trying to think back to a time when Peter had been around. When exactly had he been taken, and had he ever actually laid eyes on Bruin

She could recall going to Colorado, having Bruin there and then coming back to Beacon Hills with her, so did that mean that Peter had never actually met Bruin? Had Peter not been a part of her life before he had been erased?

"Syd, we'll figure something out, we'll come up with contingencies." Ethan supplied. "Just because you won't technically exist, doesn't mean we're going to just forget all about Bruin."

"And just in case that _is_ what's going to happen, I'll get Charlie to make notes." Sydney confessed. "If they're in someone else's writing, then there's less of a chance that they'll disappear, right?"

Derek gave her a nod, he understood what she was getting at, but the whole situation was still weird. Sydney let out a sigh and dropped her forehead down and rested it against Derek's shoulder, holding him close and hanging on tight to him. She had to get to Peter and Stiles, she had to figure out how to get them back and what better way than from the inside?

How many other people had been stolen already and if she could get in and get them all out, then she'd be able to save the town, and maybe they would all be able to go against the Ghost Riders together, maybe they could defeat them.

"Ethan, Aidan, do me a favour," Sydney paused and peered over at the twins, lifting her forehead away from Derek, "jot down everything that you know and remember, one of you take Stiles, one of you take Peter. You're going to need that written down in case everything turns to chaos in the near future."

"Makes sense." Aidan nodded. "And Bruin?"

"Yes, good thinking, make notes on her too." Sydney remarked. "We can't have too much information, right?"

"Right." Derek gave her a subtle nod. "Let's go talk to Charlie and Isaac, make sure they're on the same page too."

"In a few, I just want to sit here for a little while longer." Sydney whispered and let out a breath. She focused on her breathing and let her heartbeat fall into the same rhythm as Bruin's, the little girl calm and relaxed in Derek's hold.

She adored how easily Derek had molded into their lives, she loved how quickly he had bonded with Bruin and she never wanted him to get too far away from her, or the pack. He was her best friend, he was a good ally to have and she wanted him to be a part of her pack, she wanted him to accept her as his alpha.

She wasn't going to push him though, she wanted him to decide on his own, but she hoped that he was coming around, that he'd be willing to join her pack soon enough. Sydney hesitantly peeled her hands away from Derek and lifted her head off his shoulder. He made his way to his feet and held Bruin in his arms, offering her to Sydney as she made her way off the couch to join them.

Bruin settled in against Sydney's chest and the alpha cradled her daughter, pressing a sweet little kiss against the top of her head, loving the feeling of her baby in her hold.

"I want Charlie to be with Isaac at the loft when we figure out our plan to bait the Ghost Riders." Sydney murmured, her eyes holding Derek's. "I want her to be with someone that she knows, in a place that's familiar."

"Okay." Derek nodded his understanding. "That sounds like a good idea."

"I don't know what's going to happen to the pack if I go through with this, but I want to make sure everyone's covered. I want Bruin to stay with the twins because I want you to be with me, I want you to watch me get taken." Sydney continued to speak.

"I won't leave your side, until you're gone." Derek gave her yet another nod. "Whatever you want, I'll be right there."

"Good." Sydney took her bottom lip in between her teeth in a nervous gesture. When she released it, she let out a growl, "I just hope that I can make it back to you guys, I need to make it back to Bruin."

Derek slipped his arm around Sydney's back and ushered her towards the kitchen. He moved his arm away from her and Sydney quickly took a seat in the same chair that she had been sitting in when she had first arrived home. Derek stole the last seat and stared across the table at Isaac and Charlie, who were looking between him and Sydney.

Charlie forced a smile onto her face, set her pen down on her notebook and leaned forward, widening her eyes at Sydney, waiting for her to speak. Derek gave Sydney an encouraging nod and she took in a deep breath, stealing one last look at Bruin before bringing her eyes up to meet Charlie's.

"I need you to do me a favour." Sydney instructed, Charlie lifting her finger up and motioning for her to go on. "I need you to make notes on me, Bruin, Peter and Stiles."

"And anyone and anything else that you can think of. Syd's big plan is to use herself as bait and let the Ghost Riders take her." Derek added quickly. "But we need to make sure we're all on the same page, that we know who Peter is, who Stiles is and most importantly who Bruin is. No one is going to forget about Bruin."

"Got it." Charlie gave a firm nod of her head. "I will write down everything that I know."

"Okay, and do it as soon as possible, yeah?" Sydney pressed, hoping that it wasn't asking too much of her beta.

Charlie smiled, "of course, I'm almost done my homework anyways."

Sydney slumped down in her chair and peered over at Isaac, taking in the sight of him. She trusted him to keep an eye on Charlie, she wanted him to be her safety net to look out for her beta, and he would, she just needed to get them both on board. Charlie would head over to the loft with her whenever they decided the plan was going to happen, Sydney would leave with Derek and hopefully get taken, which would leave Derek in charge of most of her pack.

She wanted him to look after Charlie and she wanted him to go back to Bruin with the hopes that he wouldn't forget who she was entirely. She didn't care if he didn't know how or why Bruin was special to him, so long as he looked out for the baby.

Worst case scenario though, she knew the twins would take care of Bruin. So long as there were multiple possibilities for Bruin's keeper, she didn't care, she trusted each and every person that was under her roof at that very moment.

"Isaac, maybe you can make notes of your own." Sydney suggested, Isaac forcing a smile at her in response. "Good. I want an overabundance of information, I want multiple copies because I want you guys to be able to carry on without me here. I want you all protecting each other in some way."

"Syd, we know." Charlie murmured. "You being erased won't change our dynamic that much, will it?"

Sydney offered up a shrug in response, she didn't know how to answer Charlie's question and she wasn't about to take a guess.

She just knew that she needed to do this, she needed to get to Peter and maybe more things would make sense.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _I'm not going to lie here, I'm feeling way more than just a little bit discouraged. Is there anyone actually reading this, and if you are out there, do you not like it?_**

 ** _I've gotten no reviews on the last two chapters and it's not a pleasant feeling so if you're reading, let me know. If you don't like it, let me know why. If you do like it, tell me what your favourite parts are._**

 ** _Thanks guys, I really hope you're enjoying this story, I put a lot of effort into it and I can promise that it'll all be worth it in the next couple of chapters..._**


	10. Chapter 10

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 10** **:**

Being in the woods after the sun had gone down felt almost natural, it was a relief to be doing something that she was familiar with. Derek was by her side as they ventured into the preserve, following the scent of the one and only Chris Argent, neither werewolf saying a word to each other, or making a sound.

It was comforting doing this with Derek, she knew that he had her back, and it meant that Charlie was left behind in the safety of the loft. While Sydney hadn't been very accepting of the fact that she would be left along with Isaac, she knew that her beta was responsible, and if she wasn't, she was fearful of what her dad would do if he ever found out she had been doing something that she shouldn't have been doing.

Isaac wasn't very brave when it came to Sydney or Steve either, which meant that Sydney knew he wasn't going to try any funny business while alone with Charlie. Derek had been the one who needed slightly more convincing, he knew how teenagers could be but after a bold reassurance from Charlie herself, he had reluctantly left them in the loft while he trailed along behind Sydney as they sought out the hunter.

"I love it out here." Sydney remarked in a low tone and moved her arms out to the sides, basking in the moonlight that shone down on them. She paused in her movements and watched as Derek turned to face her, clearly fighting off a smile at how relaxed she seemed to be.

Yes, being out here, being with Derek, was just step one of her plan. Helping Chris Argent locate whatever it was he was looking for was her first priority but her second priority was baiting in a Ghost Rider.

She couldn't wait any longer, she needed to get to Peter, and Stiles, and make any attempts that she could at saving them, if they were still liable to _be_ saved. She kept her eyes and ears open, waiting for a sign that they were coming, hoping that she'd get taken tonight, while they were in the woods.

"I like it out here too." Derek confessed and extended his hand out to her. She dropped her arms back down to her sides and took hold of his hand, falling in step beside him as they two of them moved further on ahead.

She wasn't going to let go of his hand, no, she didn't want to get separated from him for whatever reason, at least not until they tracked down Argent, _or_ encountered a Ghost Rider. She loved the idea of Derek being right by her side and she just wished that he'd accept her offer to be a part of the pack.

What would be better than having Derek as a beta?

"This way." Sydney stated and veered towards the right, but once she passed a large tree, she froze in her movements, Derek colliding with her back as he, too, was brought to a dead halt. "I smell…"

"McCall." Derek supplied but shook his head, inhaling a deep whiff of the air, getting a better read on the smell. "Melissa."

"Oh." Sydney's lips curled up into a smile and she rolled her eyes in amusement. Okay, she could deal with Scott's mom, in fact, she sort of liked her. She was smart, funny and highly willing to help out with anything. Yes, Sydney could definitely put up with Melissa's presence, so long as the human didn't find herself in any danger.

Derek surged ahead, pulling on Sydney's arm and dragging her along behind him. He locked on to Argent's scent and crouched down slightly, peering at the darkened ground before letting out a low howl to let the man know that they were near.

Sydney saw the gun in front of Chris' face before she saw much of anything and when Derek stepped out from the brush and into Chris' line of sight, she was very much appreciative of her pal's warning howl. Chris gave them a nod and Derek closed in on him, falling in behind Chris as they moved.

"Did you find anything?" Derek asked in a whisper, Sydney keeping quiet as she kept her nose locked on Melissa's scent, which was growing stronger with each passing second.

"Nothing yet." Chris answered quickly and let the silence fall over them all.

Sydney kept her eyes peeled, looking for anything that might be of interest to them, all the while continuing to keep tabs on Melissa McCall via her scent. She hoped that Derek had his ears tuned in to their surroundings and when he jerked his head sideways at the sound of snapping twigs, she found herself relieved.

Derek had her back, literally and figuratively, and for that she was grateful. Chris darted around at the sound too and aimed the barrel of his gun directly at Melissa, who had seemingly come out of nowhere. Sydney let out a huff and Chris hesitantly lowered his gun once he realized who had dared to try and sneak up on them.

To be fair to the woman, it's not like she was being all _that_ sneaky. She had a flashlight in her hand and she wasn't very quiet, not even a little bit, so for Chris to have not noticed her earlier was really quite alarming to Sydney. Either way, it was nice to have another pair of eyes, especially a set as eager as Melissa's, even if the flashlight wasn't really helping their stealth vibe at all.

"You might want to think twice before you sneak up on a man holding a loaded M-24." Chris stated calmly and Sydney sucked in a breath, clearing her mind, focusing on other scents besides Melissa's.

"I wasn't sneaking up on you, I was catching up _with_ you." Melissa countered, closing up the remaining distance between her and them. Sydney threw a welcoming smile onto her face and hoped that the woman joining them was prepared for a hike. She still hadn't caught wind of anything of interest to them, no sounds, no smells, no noises.

"I know. I heard you a mile back." Chris replied.

"Then why didn't you say anything?" Sydney quipped. "I smelled her as soon as she set foot in the woods but I didn't say anything because I thought it might be fun for her to surprise you."

"She's not very quiet." Chris remarked.

"I found a low branch with my face." Melissa said and peered all around them, squinting her eyes in the darkness. "How do you even see anything out here?"

"With these." Sydney answered and brought out her fiery red alpha eyes for a split second, Derek matching hers with his icy blues. She didn't think too much about it, it came naturally to her, and even if she couldn't see all that well, she had other senses that she could rely on. "Don't ask me how Argent here does it though."

"Practice." Chris supplied, but his attention never left the newest addition to their group who was standing in front of him. "What are you doing, Melissa?"

"I thought maybe you could use some backup."

"I seem to have plenty of backup." Chris pointed out, shooting a quick glance to Derek, then to Sydney, before letting his gaze fall back on Melissa.

An awkward silence fell over them all, Derek giving Sydney's hand a light squeeze to remind her that he was right there. She squeezed right back and sucked in a breath, hoping that this particular night went smoothly.

She liked the idea of helping Chris but she didn't want him to get caught in the cross fire. If they did _happen_ upon a Ghost Rider, she didn't want anyone but her to be taken. She had a plan for Derek, she needed him to stay behind and look after her pack, as for Chris, well, she didn't figure he needed to be torn away from his current mission of tracking down the dangerous serial killer werewolf.

She leaned forward and watched, but Chris hadn't taken his eyes off Melissa and when the silence that had blanketed over them was finally broken, it was by the one and only Melissa McCall.

"Which way?" Melissa asked, turning around to get a look behind her, then she turned her attention back to the hunter, leveling him with a stiff look. "You can leave me out here alone with a stun gun and a box of Band-Aids, or we can all just keep going, it's up to you."

Sydney fought back the urge to laugh at the poor woman, who lifted up the stun gun in question and hit the trigger. If she hadn't been about five feet away from her, she might've jumped but there was no way the woman was going to hit her with it, but Derek jerked, his body moving closer to Sydney. Was this his instant reaction? To get closer to her, to protect her? Or to _seek_ protection _from_ her?

"I vote we let her tag along." Sydney smiled and gave Melissa a nod of appreciation. Derek didn't say anything but she could tell by his low growl that he wasn't all that happy about having another person to look out for. "I've always wanted to witness firsthand how a stun gun works."

When Sydney leaned in towards him though, Derek seemed to relax, the two werewolves waiting as Argent gave Melissa a wave, urging her to join them. Once the hunter was on his way, Melissa right behind him, Derek fell in step too, still holding Sydney's hand. She was starting to like the feeling of holding on to him, it meant that there was someone else there for her, someone who was on the same page as her.

Venturing deeper and deeper into the woods, Sydney kept her eyes moving around, looking for anything that might help them track down a werewolf with powerful enough jaws to crack a human skull. She pondered what such a werewolf might look like and immediately a mutant/beast-like alpha form jumped into her head, only this image was all too familiar.

Peter, yes, Peter had once been an alpha, and when he had shifted, he had been quite the sight. Surely his jaw could've been powerful enough to break through skull.

And the beast, yes, the very beast that the Dread Doctors had created- it was a pretty scary looking canine. Surely, if it had wanted to, it could've ripped through skulls like hot butter.

So did that mean that there was something _that_ crazy out there somewhere, or was this simply a case of a normal werewolf but with a super strong jaw? Sydney shivered at the thought and carried on walking, following behind Chris.

"You're probably wondering why I'm out here when I could be nestled at home reading a book, and that's _because_ I'm sick of seeing people that I care about wheeled past the nurses' station on a gurney." Melissa broke the quiet atmosphere that Sydney had grown accustomed too since being out in the woods. "See all of you are out here, risking your lives, and it's about time that I do something too."

"I guess." Sydney offered with a small shrug, though she figured the woman didn't see it. "But it's different for you."

"How so?"

"Well, no offense, but you're a human. I don't mean that you aren't strong, because I'm sure you are, but if you get hurt, well, you won't heal as quick, if you heal at all." Sydney explained.

"Syd, shut up." Derek let out a low growl and Sydney rolled her eyes at him, letting her red irises fade away to her usual brown. Chris stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at them all, an irritated look present on his face.

"In my experience, when tracking homicidal supernaturals, it's best to be quiet." Chris added, pausing a little longer to throw a stern look at both Melissa and Sydney, who gave him a nod in response. "Okay"

Chris marched forward a few more steps, Melissa moving with him, but Sydney remained standing still. She turned to Derek and furrowed her eyebrows, letting the acrid scent flood her nostrils. Ugh, ew, that hadn't been present mere seconds ago, but yet… it was growing stronger and stronger with each passing second.

She shook her head, rolled her shoulders back and let Derek tug on her arm, making her move behind Chris. The hunter came to an abrupt halt though, Melissa walking into his back and letting out a grunt of surprise. Sydney took in a deep inhale and tried to figure out which direction the bloody smell was coming from.

It was certainly fresh, and Derek had picked up on it too, but where was it coming from and what had happened to cause such a rancid smell so quickly?

"What is it?" Melissa questioned loudly, Chris shooting her a look to say 'quiet time', but Melissa barely paid him any attention as she gazed from the stopped hunter to the two werewolves who were craning their necks this way and that in order to get a better read on the smell. "What is it?"

"Blood." Sydney murmured.

"Lots of it." Derek threw in and surged forward, taking over the lead.

His grip on Sydney's hand never faltered and he headed straight down the path that they were all on, leading everyone, including the female alpha, in the direction from where the scent was coming from. Sydney kept pace with him and the two of them nearly broke out into a jog as they approached the scene, stopping just feet away.

"What the hell?" Sydney hissed, Chris and Melissa coming up behind her. Melissa's flashlight scanned over the ground and Sydney shuddered at the sight of two bikes, down on the ground, and one body lying nearby. There was blood all over the place and she didn't need to get closer to know that the person limp on the ground was dead.

Chris lowered his gun to his side and broke out into a run at the body, Melissa was right there with him and when they were near the fallen form, she dropped to a squat and pressed her fingers against the person's neck. Sydney didn't need to touch the body to know that it was dead.

"Do you hear that?" Derek pressed and looked all around them.

"What?" Sydney replied softly.

"A heartbeat."

"Okay, but it's not that kid's." Sydney stated, waving her hand in the direction of Melissa, who was still looking over the body. She peered over long enough to watch Chris lower himself down into a squat too.

"He's dead." Melissa announced, yet it wasn't news to Sydney, or Derek for that matter.

"Wait…" Sydney trailed off and tipped her head back. She could still smell fresh blood, and it wasn't just coming from the ground, no, no when she looked upwards, she spotted the source of the still beating heart.

Derek looked up too and took in the sight of the body hanging over the branch, blood dripping down and landing on the body on the forest floor. Before Sydney had a chance to say anything, Melissa and Chris rose up to their feet and peered up at the tree too, taking in the sight of the person stuck above them.

When the beam of light from the flashlight hit the girl's face, Sydney jumped as the girl opened her eyes.

"Oh, no." Melissa cried out, taking in the sight of the injured female. "It's okay. You're going to be okay."

"How do we get her down?" Sydney asked, looking over at Derek.

A gurgling sound emanated from the body above them and before Derek had a chance to respond, the girl opened her mouth, blood pouring out onto the branch and falling downwards. They all barely had a chance to get out of the way as the poor girl dropped down to the ground, landing just inches away from her counterpart.

The girl seemed to still as she remained on the ground. Sydney shuddered at the thought of what was actually injured on her. It was more than just a few superficial scratches, no, falling from that height meant internal damage, that is, if she wasn't already dead.

Melissa squatted back down and peered at the back of the girl's head, making note that her bike helmet was cracked nearly in two. Sydney took a step forward and finally let go of Derek's hand, leaning down over Melissa's shoulder to take in the sight.

Was this done by the same person that had been responsible for the body in the morgue, was this they very reason why they were out here, hunting down an unknown werewolf?

Lifting a hand up, Sydney covered her mouth and straightened up, feeling Derek creep closer to her and set his palm on her shoulder in a gesture of reassurance. If whatever had done this was still out there, they stood a chance, especially considering there were two werewolves _and_ an experienced hunter.

"How long could she survive like that?" Chris asked, voicing what Sydney was thinking.

"One, maybe two minutes." Melissa answered quickly.

"Can you smell anything?" Sydney posed to Derek, who shook his head no.

"It's still here." Chris announced, poising his gun, readying himself for a hell of a fight. Sydney forced her claws out and when Derek's hand retracted from her shoulder, she figured he had done the same. They weren't going to be caught with their pants down, not on her watch.

"Exactly how much training have you had for a situation like this?" Melissa inquired.

"Remember the part about being quiet?" Chris retorted, voice even and firm.

"Yeah." Melissa nodded her head, watching as Chris looked all around through the sight on his gun. Sydney followed his lead and took in her surroundings, listening for anything off, sniffing for something that didn't smell right.

Derek let out a low growl and she turned quickly, pressing her back against his so that they were both facing outwards. No one was going to sneak up on them, and that was just fine by Sydney.

"Derek?" She whimpered but he didn't make a move to respond, instead, his body stiffened against hers and she sucked in a breath, trying to calm her pounding heart.

"It's a werewolf?" Melissa broke the silence yet again, only this time Sydney was grateful. She wanted to know what they were up against, but she couldn't get a bead on a scent, or lay her eyes on a figure.

"Werecoyote." Chris answered at the same time that the scent of another supernatural creature hit Sydney hard.

It was familiar, and she knew that the person in the woods with them wasn't the werewolf they were looking for, no, this was Malia, Peter's daughter.

"Malia?" Melissa posed.

"And she's coming right at us." Chris shot back.

"Let me." Sydney let out a growl and made a move to run in the direction that she could hear the girl coming from. Derek's hand wrapped around her arm though and held her steady, not letting her get too far.

The wind around them picked up momentarily, leaves swirling across Sydney's line of sight, but she kept her stance behind Derek, her back against his.

"You're not going to shoot her, are you?" Melissa asked bluntly, Sydney turning her attention towards the hunter and watching as he focused every ounce of energy on lining up a shot.

Was he really going to shoot Malia? Oh no, no, she was an ally. While Sydney wasn't exactly all _that_ fond of the girl, she didn't want to see her get killed. But if Malia was the reason that these bikers had- _no_ , she wasn't going to think that. Malia had nothing to do with this, she couldn't have, right?

Sydney would've been able to pick up on her scent earlier if Malia was the one who had attacked these people. It still didn't explain why the girl was coming right at them though.

"No, I'm going to wing her." Chris explained.

"What?" Sydney barked but it was too late. She heard the gun fire, she watched Malia's form drop and she could easily make out the poor werecoyote's cries of discomfort. "What the hell man?"

"We needed to stop her." Chris announced and casually lowered his gun.

He took off in a brisk walk in the direction of the fallen girl, Melissa going with him, but Derek didn't budge. Sydney stayed still and felt Derek round on her, taking up a stance in front of her face instead. He forced his icy blue eyes out at her and Sydney took a step back, wondering what on earth he was doing.

"Derek-"

She was cut off but a gust of wind that took her breath away. More leaves scattered across the ground in front of her and when Sydney peered up at the moon to get a good look at it, she was surprised to find that storm clouds were nearly completely hiding the celestial body from sight.

Derek dropped down to a crouch but took off for the nearest tree, hugging it against his chest and feeling the rough bark against his hands as he peered over his shoulder at Sydney, who maintained her footing exactly where she was.

"Is this them?" Derek called out to her, stealing a quick look into the distance to make sure that Chris and Melissa had made it to Malia. "Syd, is this it?"

"Don't let them get Chris!" Sydney shouted back at him.

"Syd?" Derek cried out for her.

 _Was_ this is? Was this the arrival of the Ghost Riders coming to steal someone else from Beacon Hills?

She brushed off Derek's concern and took a step forward, bringing her claws back into her fingers. She opened her arms wide as if she was hugging the air and waited, hoping that this was her chance. She wasn't going to miss it, she wasn't going to do anything to warrant needing to bait them again, but she didn't know if that's what was even really happening.

"Don't let them see you!" Sydney yelled at Derek and heard him scurrying on the forest floor. She didn't need to look to know that he had rushed around to hide behind the tree.

A crack of thunder brought her attention forward and Sydney held her breath, waiting for the lightning to follow. When it lit up the sky and nearly blinded her from the brightness, she jerked her body backwards and spun around, looking in every direction and anticipating an attack.

But she wasn't going to fight back, not this time, she was going to let them take her, just as soon as she could figure out if it was actually the Ghost Riders or not.

She felt the ground rumbling under her feet, vibrating from the loud sounds of thunder that continued to sound out around her, and she heard the metal jingling before she saw them coming for her. A loud whinnying noise caught her attention and she spun to the right, locking her eyes on a huge, angry looking horse.

It's front legs were pounding the ground, scuffing at the dirt and Sydney cocked her head to the side, stretching out her neck and preparing to be taken, to be erased.

This _was_ it, this was her chance.

Sydney dug her heel into the ground and pushed off, surging forward, heading for the horse and letting out a ferocious growl in order to attract their attention, but it wasn't necessary, not even the slightest little bit. They already had their sights locked on her and Sydney silently prayed that she wouldn't simply just die.

She needed to get to Peter, she needed to help Stiles, but she couldn't do that if they killed her right off the bat.

"Shit, shit." She cursed and rolled her shoulders back, hoping that she ended up somewhere, instead of dying. She hadn't thought this through, not even a little bit, but there was no turning back now. She had to do this, she couldn't turn back.

Bringing herself to a stop, she stood in the middle of the forest and faced the loud horses which were mere feet in front of her, staring down at her with beady black eyes. When she peered upwards, taking in the sight of the actual rider on the horse's back, she squinted, wondering if what she was seeing was real or just an illusion.

The man had stringy dark hair underneath a worn out old cowboy hat, his skin was littered with long, deep craters and his mouth, well, there wasn't really a mouth at all. The man's face looked like tree bark and where his mouth should've been was just a slight indentation, but it was the eyes, or lack of, that really sent Sydney overboard.

Two deep black abysses stared back at her and without putting it off for another second, the man reared his arm back, readying his whip, and sent the end of it flying forward.

She felt it wrap around her upper body, and with her last second as a free woman, she peered over at the tree where Derek had hidden behind and spotted the two familiar blue glowing eyes belonging to her best friend, who she knew was about to forget her, just hopefully not forever.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Sooo...what do you think is going to happen to Sydney now?_**

 ** _Well a huge thank you goes out to those that reviewed the last chapter and let me know that there are still people reading this. Seriously, you guys are amazing. I was worried that it wasn't that great of a story and that people didn't like it._**

 ** _Thoughts on this chapter?_**

 ** _I can promise that we'll be seeing some familiar characters in the next couple of chapters_**


	11. Chapter 11

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 11** **:**

Musty, yes, that's what it was, it smelled just like her house had smelled once she had returned to it years after leaving, the lingering odour of worn out old house, or must, was what flooded her nostrils now. But this place wasn't her home, this wasn't even close to her home, no this was somewhere she wasn't even comfortable being, and if she could just figure out where she was…

Was that the most important thing though, figuring out _where_ she was, or should she had been focusing on trying to find Peter and Stiles. Holy god, what if they weren't even here, what if they were somewhere else, or worse, what if they were dead? Then what was she supposed to do?

This was a plan that she hadn't thought through that well and now that it was actually in play, Sydney found her entire body tensing with fright. What if her pack back in Beacon Hills never remembered her, what if she couldn't get herself out of this place and back to her baby girl? What would happen then?

Would she just be forgotten, _forever_?

Sydney lowered her head and shut her eyes, focusing in on her own heartbeat. If she could just get herself to remain somewhat calm and maybe use her werewolf abilities to hone in on Stiles and Peter, then maybe she could get some help, she needed people on her side.

Sucking in a deep breath, Sydney felt her heart slowly decreasing from its rapid beating and falling into a more usual and normal rhythm. Okay, if she could just calm herself down and maintain focus on the plan, then she'd be fine, right, she had to be fine. Being stuck here without a way out simply wasn't an option.

Straightening up against her seat- and god what a hard surface she was sitting on- Sydney reluctantly opened her eyes and stole a quick look around. She inhaled a deep whiff of air and tried to settle on any familiar scent but it was no use, all that she could prominently still smell was musty and stale.

Taking in another deep breath, she tried to push the old scent to the back of her mind and instead attempted to draw out the scents that belonged to people. She could see all the people around her, many of them, sitting on hard benches much like the one she was sitting on. Where the hell was she?

Oh god, the scents, they hit her without warning and suddenly Sydney found that there were far too many for her to wade her way through. There wasn't enough clarity for her to pinpoint just one person amongst the crowd, which meant that she would need to rely on more than just her nose in order to locate anyone familiar.

She took a lingering look around the room and studied faces, taking in the visages surrounding her as she searched for Stiles or Peter.

If it hadn't been for Stiles' voice sounding out in what Sydney could only assume was the place where the Ghost Riders took people, she would've spent way more time than she would've liked trying to find him. She whipped her head around and peered behind her, locking her eyes on the very human that she was desperate to lay her eyes on.

Stiles was here, yes! He was right in front of her face, he was in this weird, awful smelling place, which meant that she wasn't going to have to wander off in search of him. How lucky was she?

"Stiles?" She hissed in his direction but watched as he began to converse with the people around him. She didn't want to be too loud for fear that there were people watching _her_ , people who would harm her if she dared to move from her seat. But where exactly was she, where had she been taken?

Stiles must not have heard her, but Sydney didn't care, not for the time being. So long as she had her eyes on him, that was all that mattered; one person found, one more to go, then she could really get motoring on figuring out how to get back to her family.

She let her eyes drift upwards but kept Stiles in her peripherals, taking in the sight of the place where they were all being held. It looked like some sort of terminal, like for a bus or train, yet Sydney didn't see much more to indicate that there was any way to leave. All of the windows on any of the doors were blacked out, there weren't any windows that she could see and where there was a giant, open arch across the room, she made note that it was just dark, pitch black and ominous.

What the fuck was this place?

"Stiles?" She called out for him once more, this time her voice slightly louder than it had been the first time. She could make out Stiles asking the woman next to him where they were and when she answered with 'train station', Sydney cocked her head to the side.

Okay, well that was one question answered, but why the hell were they all in a train station, were they waiting for a train? And if that _was_ the case, where would this train take them anyways?

Sydney made a move to stand up and she pressed her feet carefully against the floor, fearful that it might just crumble beneath her. This entire place was strange and her gut knotted, nervousness flooding through her body. She didn't _want_ to be here, she just wanted to get Stiles, look for Peter and get the hell out of here before something bad happened to them.

Taking a step away from the bench, Sydney wandered down the aisle of where she was sitting, her eyes never leaving Stiles, and the closer that she got, the more she realized that this place was even creepier than she had first believed. There were people upon people, upon people lining the benches; had they all be taken? Had the Ghost Riders erased every single person here?

Oh god, that was a lot of people, which only served to remind Sydney of the very real threat lurking around in Beacon Hills. The Ghost Riders were taking people, they were erasing people and forcing everyone remaining to not be able to remember who these people were, but why? What was the purpose?

What were the Ghost Riders going to _do_?

"Stiles?" She called out for a third time, this time not bothering to try and be stealthy. When his head jerked and he locked his eyes on her, Sydney knew that he had heard her, there was no denying it. He even straightened up in his spot on the bench and waited for her, watching as she rounded the end of her row and began making her way down towards Stiles.

When she closed in on him, she hesitantly looked at the small vacant patch of bench beside him and lowered herself down to sit next to him, her hand sliding over to take a hold of his, giving him a reassuring squeeze as she settled in.

Stiles glanced sideways at her, his mouth partly agape as he clearly tried to figure out how the hell she had gotten here.

"Thank god I found you. We need to get out of here." Sydney murmured.

Stiles gave her the briefest of nods but turned his attention to the woman next to him. Sydney held on tightly to his hand, refusing to let go of him for fear that he'd be swiped right out from under her nose if she loosened her grip too much. She wasn't about to let go of Stiles, she wasn't going to lose him.

"Did you see me come in?" Stiles quipped, speaking to the woman next to him. Sydney remained silent and listened to what he was saying. Had Stiles seen her come in?

"No." The stranger replied simply and Sydney gripped his hand tighter, drawing his attention towards her.

"Did you see _me_ come in?" Sydney pressed and Stiles stared into her eyes for a few seconds before slowly shaking his head no. "What the hell is going on here?"

"I don't know." Stiles answered softly. "But I'm going to figure it out."

"Yeah." Sydney let out a sigh and leaned against him, daring herself to look around the room again. She did so but didn't seem to lock her eyes on anyone familiar, no, these people were all strangers to her. Did they have people back in Beacon Hills who had forgotten them or had they been stolen from somewhere else? How far did the reach of the Ghost Riders extend?

When she moved her eyes back over to Stiles, she took note that he was right back to looking at the woman next to him. Okay, yes, maybe she could help them both figure this place out, maybe she could give them information that they needed.

"How long have you been here?" Stiles asked and clenched Sydney's hand tighter, signaling without words that he wanted her to listen.

"Maybe an hour?" The female stranger responded and Sydney peered around the room, looking for any sign of a clock, or something that could tell her the time. When Stiles' blunt human nails bit into her skin though, she let out a grumble and gave him her full, undivided attention. Surely there would be time to look around once they were done with this woman, right?

"We got here at the same time. It's been at least six hours." A man next to the woman piped up. Sydney looked past the female and watched as the man loosened his grip on the newspaper in his hand. Maybe it had some sort of clue, maybe it could help them.

"Six hours?" Stiles fired back at them both. Six hours, holy crap, six hours was a long ass time to sit and wait for a train. Something definitely wasn't right, and the more time Sydney spent in this place, the more she was starting to wonder if this is where she was going to be for a long, long time to come. "Where are you going?"

"I had a ticket with me somewhere." The woman answered, her hands beginning to move, her palms patting over her front as she sought out the ticket that she claimed to have had.

"Stiles," Sydney whispered, "she's a doctor, or a nurse or something, look at what she's wearing."

"You always travel in your work clothes?" Stiles tossed out, catching Sydney's drift. Sure people could easily travel in their work clothes, but this woman, she didn't have a bag, or a jacket, or anything, she still had her stethoscope around her neck. It was safe for Sydney to assume that anyone in their right mind would, at the very least, put a stethoscope away before leaving work.

"I must have been in a rush."

"A rush my ass." Sydney mumbled, a growl in her tone. "Come on."

Sydney scooted to the edge of her seat and stood up, tugging on Stiles' arm as she moved. Once they were both on their feet, he took off for the ticket booth in front of them, wandering closer to it and taking in the sight of the worn out and musty smelling booth against the wall.

She continued to cling to his hand and when they were right in front of it, Stiles reached out with his free arm and ran his finger along the counter, dragging his digit through a thick layer of dust- well that certainly explained the musty smell, when was the last time this place had been cleaned?

She leaned in closer to him and when Stiles turned around, she moved with him, following his every move. He peered out at the rest of the people sitting and waiting in the train station, none of whom seemed to be even the slightest bit concerned about where they were, or how they had gotten there.

"Do you know if anyone works here?" Stiles asked, directing his question at the woman that he had been talking to earlier. Sydney shook her head and glanced over her shoulder, looking at the window to the booth. It was coated in dust but even if she wasn't a werewolf, it wouldn't have taken much to realize that there wasn't a single person working there.

She couldn't smell anyone behind the faded glass, nor could she hear anyone's heartbeat. The only people in the train station were her, Stiles and the other people sitting on the benches waiting for train.

She jumped ever so slightly as a robotic voice sounded out from a speaker up high on the wall but she didn't break her hold on Stiles, no, no she wasn't going to let him get away from her, she wasn't going to let him out of her sight.

"The following stops have been canceled, Hollatine, Batten, Bay Burry, Deer Ridge, Red Oak…"

People in the train station began to rise up from their seats, everyone moving in a different direction as they meandered to wherever it was that they needed to get to. Sydney peered around the room and wondered where the hell they planned on going seeing as there wasn't much in terms of places to go.

There were doors sure, but the one at the end of the hall was chained shut. Wherever they were, it wasn't like there were a lot of options of places to go, and even if Sydney felt the need to get the hell out of there, she wasn't about to wander through the darkened archway. When she looked at it, she felt a shiver course through her spine as she thought about the possibilities of what they were all doing here.

Hell, they were just sitting ducks, waiting for the Ghost Riders to come and do whatever it is that they were planning on doing with them.

"Excuse me, where are those trains going?" Stiles called out.

"Stiles." She hissed, wanting him to stay quiet, to blend in with the people around him. If they could just camouflage with the rest of the people, if they could get away without drawing attention to themselves-

"Excuse me, do you know what train this is? Does anyone know where this train's going? Excuse me, do you know what train this is? Do you know where this train's going?" Stiles continued to ask whoever he could get to look his way. Sydney followed him as he moved through the crowd, desperate to get answers.

She wanted to know too but she wanted to know on her own terms. If they could just wait out the storm, then they could sit back down and calmly come up with a plan, if Stiles was good at anything, it was coming up with a plan.

"We need to blend in." Sydney instructed and let go of his hand, if only to move her palm up and grip his bicep instead. She clung to him, fearful of becoming separated.

"We need to find out where the hell the trains are going." Stiles countered and moved forward.

Sydney went to follow his lead but at the faint, distant sound of horses, she froze in her tracks. Oh dear god, no, no she knew that sound, it was the very same sound that she had heard before the Ghost Riders had shown up in the preserve, before they had taken her- no, before they had erased her.

What happened if they took her from here? Would she be even more erased? Would she stand _any_ chance at getting back to her pack, to her family?

"We need to hide." Sydney whimpered and hip checked him sideways, trying to get him to move into the midst of the crowd.

Stiles stood his ground though and continued to march around, desperate to get some answers. She clung to him, not wanting to let go even if she didn't want to be a part of whatever it was he was doing at that moment.

The sounds of horses grew louder and louder, wind whipped in through the archway, the chilled breeze nipping at the skin on her face. Sydney shook her head and fought every urge in her body to let her eyes shift, no, she didn't want anyone here to know she was a werewolf, she didn't want the people here afraid of her.

When the Ghost Riders burst through the archway, Sydney stiffened and let out a tiny little growl. She just needed to keep herself and Stiles away from them, she needed to kept them both safe.

The Ghost Riders galloped and moved through the crowd, the sounds of horses was deafening now that Sydney was almost face to face with the creatures. She moved back as they stepped closer to her and Stiles, Stiles moving with her, no resistance on his part. He apparently was ready to run and hide now that they were within their sights.

The two of them darted to the right and made a beeline for whatever they could but another Ghost Rider appeared, this one dragging a person behind it from some sort of rope, which disappeared right in front of their very eyes. Was this how people came to be here? Was this how they got to the train station?

"We need to move." Sydney commanded and tugged on Stiles arm, trying and failing to pull him away from the Ghost Riders.

Stiles seemed to have his own agenda yet Sydney wasn't giving up that easily. She held on to his arm with everything she had but when Stiles moved forward, she gave in and went with him. If she could let him think that he was the one in charge, then it was possible that she could turn it around on him and lead him where she wanted to go.

They moved closer and closer to the Ghost Riders and Sydney kept her eyes wide and locked on the one rider nearest them. She wasn't going to let them hurt her, or Stiles, but that didn't mean they wouldn't still be able to. She knew what they were capable of, she knew what they could do-

Her back ended up pressed against a rough brick pillar, Stiles' back against her side and when she looked up at the cause of this, she felt her heart drop. Peter, Peter had been the reason they were now pressed up against a column, waiting for the Ghost Riders to go away?

"It had to be you." Peter grumbled but his eyes were on Stiles and _only_ Stiles.

She let out a whimper and shoved Stiles to the side, lunging right for him, wrapping her arms around his neck and burying her nose into his chest. He was here, he was alive, and he had saved them.

"Peter." She murmured and clung to him, forgetting all about her silent vow to not let Stiles out of her sight. Peter was here, he was right here, she could touch him, she could feel him, she could see him!

Oh glory!

"Sydney." She could just barely hear him breathe out her name. Yes, yes this was good, _great_ even, now she had Stiles _and_ Peter, and she wasn't going to let go of either of them, figuratively of course.

"I…god Peter." She mumbled and leaned her head back, reluctantly putting a little bit of space between them. "I have missed you."

"Sydney." He repeated her name, this time with a lot more conviction. She was in his hold, his arms were around her back and she could feel his heart beating in his chest. Peter was okay, he was right here- but that still didn't help her feel much better.

The three of them were all still stuck in this sorry excuse for a train station. She needed to get them out, she needed to get them home, to her pack, to Stiles' friends, but most importantly, she needed to get back to Bruin.

"There's so much…you have missed a _lot_." She forced a chuckle out but felt her eyes welling up with tears.

What had happened to him, how had he ended up here and when exactly had he been taken?

She had so much she wanted to know, and so much she had to tell him.

"Uh guys," Stiles spoke up, inserting himself into their conversation. Sydney reluctantly freed herself from his grip but remained on her knees, Peter crouching down in front of her. Peter rose up to his full height and offered Sydney his hand, hauling her up and off the floor, but he wasn't prepared for her to lunge at him once again.

She wrapped her arms around his middle and held him tight, nuzzling her nose against the side of his neck before pressing a kiss against his skin.

Oh how she had missed him, well, she had missed him when she could actually remember him. He smelled perfect, he felt _so_ good.

"What?" Peter countered and she shuddered at the feel of his fingers running through her hair, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long damn time. "We need to get away from here."

"Yeah," Sydney nodded her head in agreement, "yes we do."

Peter ran his hand down her back and took hold of her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. Sydney let out a soft sigh of relief and held his hand right back, falling in step with him as he led her away from where they had nearly gotten attacked by the Ghost Riders. When she glanced over her shoulder to make sure Stiles was following them, she furrowed her eyebrows at the teenager, who hadn't moved from where he had been standing.

"Hey!" He called out to them but Peter continued to move, Sydney following his lead. "Peter? Peter, what are you doing here? How are you here?"

Stiles broke out into a run and managed to catch up to them, but Peter never faltered. Sydney shot Stiles a smile and let her mate lead her to wherever it was that he was going. She was going to stick with him, and hope that the three of them could all get out of here sooner rather than later.

Peter stopped walking in front of a bench and turned to face Stiles head on. Stiles simply stared back at him, waiting for Peter to answer.

"You didn't ask _me_ that when I first found you." Sydney pointed out.

"Yeah, and to be fair, I knew where you were for the last year or so, _him_ , not so much." Stiles remarked without breaking eye contact with Peter. "So I'm going to ask again, _how_ are you here?"

"What do you mean how am I here? I'm here, _you_ are here. We are all here. Now, get the hell away from me, Stiles." Peter countered and gave Sydney's hand a rough squeeze and sat down, tugging on her arm so that she would follow but she didn't. She remained standing and looked between Stiles and Peter, wondering why everything felt so fuzzy.

Stiles had been taken by the Ghost Riders and so had Peter, did they both know this or was there something blocking their memories too? Was it as cut and dry here as Sydney thought it was? Did the people here _know_ they were taken?

"Jesus Christ." Sydney mumbled and dropped down to sit next to Peter, immediately curling up against his side. "Stiles, please sit down, you're making me nervous standing in front of me like that."

Stiles ignored her and instead focused his attention on Peter, who looked away from Stiles' gaze. Sydney scoffed at his childlike behaviour but relished in the feeling of Peter being right next to her. This is what she had wanted from the very second that she had set foot in Beacon Hills, she had wanted to be with Peter.

"Hey, Peter. Peter. Peter!" Stiles' voice was laced with frustration, so much so that he actually snapped his fingers in front of his face, which finally got Peter's attention. "What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for my train." Peter answered and stole a quick look at Sydney, forcing a smirk onto his face. " _We're_ waiting for _our_ train."

"What?" Sydney cocked her head sideways. "No, no we're not."

"What do you mean, 'no we're not'?" Peter argued and looked right at her.

"I thought…you can't just sit here." Sydney pointed out and ran a hand over his chest. "Don't get me wrong, I am _real_ glad to see you, but we have to get out of here, we have to get back-"

"Back? No, I'm waiting for my train." Peter cut her off and looked at her, his expression letting her know that he thought she was absolutely insane. "We get back by taking the train."

"I'm just going to stop you two there," Stiles broke in, Sydney letting out a groan of frustration, "Peter, okay, did you not just see that?"

"See what?" Peter countered.

"The horses, the hogtied businessmen with the magically dissolving ropes?" Stiles waved a hand in front of him and looked from Peter over to Sydney, who offered him a shrug in response. She had seen it, but she wasn't entirely sure what it meant, or what they were supposed to do about it. "I'm sorry, did anyone just see that?"

"I did." Sydney whispered and dropped her head down to rest against Peter's shoulder.

"Do you mind? You're blocking the board." Peter glowered at Stiles and Sydney tensed next to him. What the hell did he think was going on here? Did he not know that he had been taken, erased from reality? "I'd like a little warning before my train arrives."

"There's no train." Sydney piped up. "We're not getting on _any_ train."

"Hang on Syd, let's just play this out with him real quick," Stiles lifted a hand up in her direction and she gave him a nod of agreement. "Okay, so you're waiting for a train, how did you get here?"

"Pretty sure I took a cab." Peter answered, his tone suggesting that Stiles was an idiot for even asking. Of course he would've taken a cab, god, this place was so messed up. Sydney let out a groan and looked at Stiles, motioning for him to go on.

"Last time I saw you, you were being locked away in Eichen House." Stiles stated matter-of-factly.

"Remember Mexico, we rode all the way back from Mexico together in the back of the SUV." Sydney supplied, drumming her fingertips against his chest. "I left you there, I left you in Eichen house…"

She watched Peter from the side and felt his entire body tense. Okay, well, maybe this was a good sign, maybe if he was stiffening up then he sort of, maybe, remembered some of what happened. She continued to keep her eyes on him, Stiles remaining very still in front of him, and before they could say anything to each other, Peter set a glare on the human boy in front of him.

"I was in Eichen, thanks to you." Peter growled.

"No." Sydney argued. "You brought that on yourself."

"If it wasn't for him…" Peter lifted a hand up and pointed at Stiles.

"Memory's good." Stiles remarked casually and Sydney scoffed at how at ease Stiles seemed to be, even though he was standing in front of none other than Peter Hale. "Can you remember how you, uh, got out? They discharge you?"

"Hey, you know, that's actually a good question, I wouldn't mind knowing the answer to that one." Sydney prodded.

"No, they didn't discharge me." Peter answered calmly. "The power went out and I ran like hell."

"That's it? You just ran?" Stiles pressed.

"And you didn't think to come and find _me_?" Sydney growled, her own body going rigid at his admission. If he had gotten out, if he had managed to find a way out of Eichen House, why hadn't he found her, why hadn't he-

"I was taken outside Eichen, there wasn't…I didn't get a chance to go after you." Peter admitted. "And yes, that's it Stiles, I literally just ran away from the insane asylum that was holding me hostage!"

"Okay, you weren't a hostage Peter." Sydney pointed out. "You were there because you were power hungry, do you remember lying to me and telling me that I was enough for you, then ending up going after Scott in Mexico? You nearly died-"

"How long have I been here?" Peter cut in and peered over at Sydney, a look of concern on his face. "Sydney, how long have we been apart?"

"The lockdown was three months ago." Stiles answered.

"I've been missing for three months and no one came for me?" Peter let out a low growl.

"Hey, just because the lockdown was three months ago, doesn't mean that's all we've been apart for, it's been like a year." Sydney added. "I went back to Colorado for a while after you were first admitted…as for looking for you- god, you were on my mind all the time."

"So how come you didn't come looking for me?" Peter asked, repeating his question from seconds before.

"That's what the Ghost Riders do, they erase you." Stiles answered.

"Ghost Riders? Ghost Riders of the Wild Hunt?" Peter seemed to straighten up at Stiles' words. Did he really not know what the hell was going on, did Peter not realize that he had been stolen from her.

She had managed to figure out what was missing in her life, and it had been Bruin's father, and even then, it had taken some time and planning to get to the bottom of who the mystery man was. Peter had to understand that she hadn't just _left_ him, no, she had been desperate to have him back in her life for as long as she could remember.

And Bruin, god, Bruin, Peter had never even met her, he had no idea she even existed. He was in for a rude awakening if- no _when_ \- they managed to get back to Beacon Hills, back where they all belonged.

"Yeah, you know what I'm talking about?" Stiles prompted, when it was obvious that no one else was going to say anything. Sydney was too busy remembering her baby girl and wondering when a good time to tell Peter about her would be.

"Of course, I know what you're talking about. They ride the lightning, they are an unstoppable force of nature, but, I promise you, they don't make pit-stops in train stations. I've escaped one prison only to land in another one and this looks like the underground lair of a depressed bureaucrat." Peter grumbled.

"Come on, there's got to be a way out of this place, right? Have you tried looking around? Have you talked to anyone who knows anything?" Stiles continued to ask questions and Sydney scooted forward, moving to sit on the edge of her seat. She had to get out of here, she had to get back to Bruin.

Yes, Peter was important to her and she was going to get him, and Stiles, out of here, but Bruin was the _most_ important person in her life. She had to get back to her baby, she had to get back to her little girl. She didn't know what the hell her pack was going through without her, she didn't know what was happening with Bruin, but she did know that she needed to get back to her, she needed everything to go back to the way it was supposed to be.

"If this is the Wild Hunt, there is no escape. You and I are doomed to ride the storm forever."

"I definitely do _not_ miss your overdramatic flair." Sydney mumbled and made a move to stand up, grabbing his hand and holding on tight.

"Yeah, we're not in the storm, we're in a train station, and we can get out of a train station." Stiles jeered.

Yes! Yes they could get out of a train station-

"We can't get out of here, Stiles because this place isn't real." Peter said gruffly and Sydney narrowed her eyes in on him.

"Fuck you Peter." Sydney growled.

"Yeah, what she said…what are you talking about? What do you mean this place isn't real?" Stiles tossed out

"Beacon Hills doesn't have a train station." Peter stated and even Sydney, who had spent most of her life in Colorado, knew that he was right.

There was no train station in Beacon Hills which meant that they weren't just looking for a way out of this place, they were looking for a way back _into_ the real world.

As happy as she was to have Peter back by her side, Sydney knew that things had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts on her finally laying her eyes on Peter? Are you guys glad that Syd's finally found him?_**

 ** _Thank you to those of you that left reviews and for those of you reading! I really hope you continue to like and enjoy_**

 ** _BeccaSco: Oh my! Well thanks for the review and I'm glad you found it lol_**

 ** _Judit Hale: Peter is pretty awful to her, I won't disagree with you. Yes, she did leave her daughter behind, and maybe that wasn't the best move for either of them but desperate times call for desperate measures. Hope you enjoyed this installment! And I guess we'll just have to hope that nothing happens to Bruin while Sydney's gone._**

 ** _WalterTheFemaleDuck: How was Peter time? I really hope you liked the latest installment_**


	12. Chapter 12

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 12** **:**

"You've missed a lot." Sydney murmured, nuzzling her head against Peter's shoulder while she sat next to him. Stiles had reluctantly left them alone for the time being but he was still well within seeing distance. Stiles had taken up a seat on the bench nearest them and every so often, she'd catch him peering over at them, most likely wondering when she was doing to try and do something instead of just sitting there next to Peter.

But Sydney wasn't entirely ready to jump into figuring things out, not just yet anyways. She wanted to bask in the feeling of Peter's hand gripping hers, his fingers intertwined between hers, and let his scent flood her entire system. He was okay, he was alive, but most importantly, he was right there with her.

"How long…how long _have_ I been gone, really?" Peter pressed. "Stiles mentioned three months ago was when the blackout-"

"Yeah, but before that…if you claim that you were _still_ in Eichen when the blackout happened, then you were there for a good nine or ten months." Sydney provided and immediately her mind flitted to Bruin.

Oh yes, Bruin, her daughter, _Peter's_ daughter. He had no idea she even existed and Sydney wasn't entirely sure if the right time for her to tell him about Bruin would ever present itself. They were currently stuck in some random train station after being ripped away from Beacon Hills by the Ghost Riders, so yeah, she had ample opportunity, but she didn't want to scare him away.

She wanted to ease Peter into the fact that he had yet another daughter.

And boy oh boy was Sydney super anxious about how he'd respond to _that_ news.

"I have a pack." Sydney announced softly, at least if she gave him that much information, she could start to lay it all out for him. She hadn't wanted to be a defenseless omega, she wanted to be strong and protected, she wanted to have people there to watch her back, and that's exactly what she had ended up with.

"A pack?" Peter turned his head and locked his eyes with hers. "You have a pack?"

"Yeah." She forced a smile onto her face and let out a nervous chuckle. "After you got yourself locked away, I took the liberty to head back to Colorado for a while, that's where I acquired Charlie."

Peter cocked his head sideways and she smiled even wider, her thoughts drifting to the young female that she had managed to land as part of her pack. Charlie had also come with her father, who had quite a bit of knowledge regarding the supernatural, and hell, he had even known Deaton.

"Charlie." Peter repeated the name and let it roll around on his tongue. "What's he like?"

"He?" Sydney scoffed and shook her head. While it had been obvious to her that Charlie was a girl, she could see where the misunderstanding might arise. "No, no Charlie's a girl. She's like Stiles' age, her dad's a doctor, but like a real doctor, a human doctor, not just a vet like Deaton."

"Charlie, the girl." Peter gave her a nod of understanding and Sydney let out a soft sigh, curling her body against his and trying desperately to get closer. She loved the feeling of his body against hers and if she had anything to say about it, she wasn't ever going to give it up again.

"She's pretty amazing. Like I've never really had many female friends but now that she's in my life, I cannot imagine it being any other way."

"She's a werewolf?" Peter pressed and pulled his hand out of Sydney's grasp before lifting his arm up and draping it over her shoulders instead. He leaned his head down and pressed a gentle kiss against the side of her head, loving the idea of her being right next to him just as much as _she_ liked the idea of being next to him. "Or is she some other supernatural creature?"

"No, she's a werewolf." Sydney answered with a giggle. "She's living with me here now, I rebuilt my old house."

Peter gave her another nod, not entirely sure what he was supposed to say. It seemed that there was a lot more that Sydney wanted to get off her chest than he did, but then again, it wasn't like he had expected to see her, and he definitely hadn't expected to see her here. Of all the time that he had been gone, he had reserved himself to the fact that no one was looking for him, but that wasn't the case at all.

No one _remembered_ him, yet part of him still harboured some little bit of resentment. He had missed out on so much, he had been stuck here for so long and before that he had been locked away, only to be driven to the brink of insanity.

Here Sydney was though, sitting right next to him, telling him about the things that he had missed while he had been gone. She had a pack, a pack that consisted of some teenaged girl named Charlie that he had never, ever heard of until that very moment. What did that mean for him?

Was he still going to be the most important person in her life? Could he convince her that she didn't need Charlie and that they'd be better off with just the two of them?

"I have the twins too." Sydney piped up and Peter stiffened at her admission. The twins, the very twins that had once been the enemy, the twins consisting of Ethan and Aidan…Aidan, who had kissed Sydney before…what was she thinking?

They weren't good people? Hell, they had been the worst of the worst at one point, what was she doing with them in her pack? Why had she sided with them?

Peter tried to gather his thoughts, he wanted to make sure he didn't just jump the gun. If the twins were part of Sydney's pack, that meant that they were loyal to her, and if they were loyal to her, what exactly had she done to earn that? Or were they just using her, were they sticking with her until they found something better?

"They're good to me." Sydney murmured, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. "They help me out a lot."

"Help you? You're an alpha, you're superior to them, what the hell do they need to help you with?"

Yes, here was the perfect opportunity to throw out that the twins looked after Bruin when she wasn't around, in fact, they were supposed to be looking after her at that very moment. She prayed that things were going smoothly back in Beacon Hills and that Bruin was safe, but she didn't know for sure what was going to happen the second that she had been taken by the Ghost Riders.

Should she tell him about Bruin now? Was this the best chance she was going to get to break the ice when it came to their daughter?

"They're strong and capable, they look out for me and I look out for them." Sydney explained with a small shrug. "I don't really know why you're so opposed to them being in my pack anyways, it's not like you were all that great to me before you wound up locked away in the nuthouse."

"I was-"

"You went behind my back and teamed up with Kate Argent." Sydney cut him off, leveling him with a glare. "We drove to Mexico where I witnessed you try to kill Scott McCall because you wanted to be the most powerful man in Beacon Hills."

"None of that meant that I didn't love you." Peter argued, Sydney shaking her head at him in response. "We all make mistakes."

"Yeah but still." Sydney countered. "You _knew_ how much I hated Kate, you knew what she was capable of, what she did to your family was proof of that."

Peter opened his mouth to respond but she lifted her hand up, pressing her finger against his lips, silencing him with ease. He let out a breath and tipped his chin downwards, resting his forehead against hers and looking into her eyes. It wasn't hard for him to sense all of her pent up emotions pertaining to him.

She was furious with him for doing what he did, she was saddened by the fact that he had wound up in Eichen House while she had been forced to find her own way without him. Could he really blame her for finding a pack, for creating a group of her own that she happened to trust?

While Peter didn't really like the idea of having the twins hanging around Sydney, especially not that Aidan, he didn't really have a solid leg to stand on when it came to choosing allies. She was right, he had chosen Kate Argent over her.

"Syd!" Stiles' voice cut in, pulling Peter out of his thoughts and he felt her straighten up next to him, but she let his arm remain around her shoulders. He'd take it, it was just one of a hopeful few small victories that he had to look forward to. "Syd, we have to…we've got to try _something_ to get out of here."

Sydney gave Stiles a nod of agreement and she slowly rose up to her feet. She extended her hand out towards Peter who grasped it with a sigh of his own. Surely he was happy to see her, she had no doubt about that, it was what happened when they finally managed to get the hell out of here that made her anxious.

She didn't know how Peter would react to her pack, or how he would fit in, _if_ he would even _want_ to be a part of her pack at all. Then there was the idea of him having to meet Bruin and how he'd react to that little tidbit of information.

"We have to find a way to get home." Sydney agreed and Peter rose up to his feet, falling in stride behind her as she followed Stiles around the end of the bench. She peered back at Peter, slowed her pace and walked along beside him as Stiles explored the walls of the train station, seemingly looking for any sort of trap door or way out.

Peter rolled his eyes at Stiles and tugged on Sydney's arm, drawing her closer to him and inhaling her scent. She couldn't contain the smile on her face as she relaxed against his side. For the time being, she'd worry about getting out of here, and until they actually made it out and got back to her pack, she'd put all her anxieties out of her mind. They had a bigger goal to focus on.

"Have we tried the doors?" Sydney posed and peered around the room, taking a look at the very doors in question. She had just arrived here but Stiles had been in the train station for a while, and Peter had been here even longer than that. Had the two of them tried to find a way out already?

Or had they not even really realized the trouble they were in until now?

"Have we tried…" Stiles scoffed at her suggestion but refused to meet her eyes. When he reluctantly looked in her direction, he shook his head no and she raised an eyebrow at him, silently questioning his lack of ideas. "Okay so we start by trying the doors."

Stiles walked across the room and stopped in front of a set of double doors, which were chained together. Sydney and Peter wandered along behind him but Peter took a seat on the chair against the wall mere feet away from Stiles, who grabbed at the thick metal pieces holding the door shut.

Sydney let Stiles have a go at the door on his own as she lowered her butt down and sat next to Peter, slipping her arm around his middle and leaning against him, pressing the tip of her nose against his shoulder. She let her eyes fall shut and listened to the steady beat of his heart, the sound soothing to her after such a long time without him.

"I missed you." Sydney whispered and slowly lifted her head, meeting Peter's eyes. He was looking right back at her and he raised his hand up, gingerly brushing a few strands of her hair behind her ear.

"You're constantly on my mind." Peter confessed in a soft tone and she took her bottom lip in between her teeth as she leaned in closer to him, eliminating the distance between them.

When her lips pressed against his, she felt her entire body relaxing at the kiss. This was what she wanted, this was what she _needed_ and now that she had Peter in her sights, she wasn't going to let him go without a fight. He was her mate, he was the man she loved and she needed to get him back to Beacon Hills so that he could meet his daughter.

"Do you two really think now is a good time for that?" Stiles piped up and Sydney pulled away, glaring at him as she did so.

"What are you doing?" Peter quipped, turning his attention to the lanky teenager. Stiles gave a study pull on the chain and stared back at them.

"Oh, right, we should…be trying the doors." Sydney mumbled hesitantly and removed her arm from around him, then she ran her hands over her thighs and made her way to her feet.

"Little help, please?" Stiles demanded. "If we get out of here, you two can go off and make out all you want."

"I'm glad I have your permission." Sydney remarked sarcastically and took a step towards the door, but Peter beat her to the punch. He stood up from his own seat, hopped down to the floor and walked towards the door, grabbing the bottom part of the chain and giving it a rough yank.

She watched in awe and when the chain came a part, the links splintering under his strength, she ran her palm across his back. Peter was strong, just like her, and she knew that he'd be a valuable asset to her pack, if she could just get everyone to play nice.

Maybe knowing about Bruin would help him feel like he belonged, maybe he'd want to try to make things work for the sake of their daughter. Sydney could only hope that things would turn out okay for them all. She didn't want there to be any rifts between her betas, even if one of those betas was Peter.

Stiles shot her a look of determination before whipping the door open and walking through. She hung back, remaining by Peter's side and merely waiting for Stiles to make any sort of helpful discovery that he could. He disappeared into the darkness of the doorway and Sydney held her breath, hoping that they hadn't just made things worse.

She had been lucky to find him the first time, but if he had disappeared from the train station, she wouldn't even know where to begin trying to get to him again.

A noise from behind them caught her attention and at the same time as Peter, she turned around just in time to watch Stiles burst through another set of double doors further down the wall. She looked at Stiles, then back to Peter, with a confused expression etched on her face.

Was this place like a labyrinth, was it all an illusion of sorts? If Stiles had gone through the door in front of them, only to come out another set of doors behind them, what did that mean? There was no way that it would contain a hallway that would go around in a circle right, it had to go somewhere else?

Yet Stiles had come out behind them.

Stiles took a quick look around to get his bearings and when his eyes landed on Peter, she watched as the two males seemed to jerk backwards. Sydney cocked her head sideways and slowly turned her attention towards the doorway that they had just opened.

"What the hell?" Stiles murmured and began walking right back for the door. Sydney watched him go and when he disappeared into the darkness once again, she held her breath, hoping that wherever he was about to come out was somewhere safe.

She turned back just in time to catch Stiles surging through the door once again, apparently it came out the same spot every time. She let out a whimper and grabbed onto Peter's hand, giving it a rough squeeze as Stiles marched past them, determined to try it one more time. He broke out into a run and right as he was about to jog through the door, Peter held out his free hand, stopping Stiles in his tracks.

"No, no, no, keep going." Peter egged him on but Stiles rounded on him, leveling the former alpha with a glare that made Sydney flinch. She had rarely seen Stiles angry but this was him right out frustrated and furious. Here they had thought they had found a lead, a possible clue to getting out of here, but it was useless.

"I don't see you coming up with anything." Stiles retorted.

"Third time's a charm, right?" Sydney offered up with a nervous smile.

"Stiles." Peter cut in and turned his head to look over his shoulder the slightest little bit. "Left shoulder, against the pillar. Don't look."

Stiles, and Sydney, both made a move to turn but Peter gave her hand a rough squeeze, drawing her attention to him instead.

"I said _don't_ look." Peter hissed. "He's watching us."

"Yeah, so?" Stiles shot back.

Sydney sucked in a breath, wiggled her fingers and forced Peter's grip on her hand to loosen just enough so that he wasn't hurting her anymore. She looked down at her feet and mentally counted to three before flipping her hair over her shoulder and stealing a look at the person that Peter was referring to.

There was a young man around Stiles' age, dark curly hair going every which way, and he was looking right at them. Well that was certainly a little off putting.

" _So_ every person in this station is either comatose or catatonic, but that kid, he seems very interested in keeping an eye on us."

"Maybe he's with the Ghost Riders." Sydney offered up. "Maybe he's here to make sure no one leaves."

Stiles gave Sydney a shake of his head and pushed off, heading right for the kid. Sydney let out a groan and made a move to run after him but Peter held her hand tight and kept her in place, holding her back for a split second.

"No matter what, we stick together." Peter murmured and lifted his free hand up, ghosting his fingertips along her jaw. She leaned into his touch and gave him a silent nod, agreeing with him completely. No matter what was about to happen, she wasn't going to let Peter get too far away from her.

She followed Stiles lead, Peter moving with her, and the three of them approached the kid leaning casually against the pillar, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched them get closer.

"Hey!" Stiles called out to the kid but he turned on his heels, rounding the corner of the pillar. Sydney let go of Peter's hand and watched him move around to the other side, hoping to cut him off before he had a chance to get away.

She got in on the game too and stood at the corner where the kid had been standing originally, hoping that he'd eventually come back to where he had first noticed them. Stiles kept moving, as did the kid, but when the two of them came face to face with none other than Peter, she heard Stiles' heart skip a beat.

"Got you." Sydney mumbled, moseying on over towards the three boys and taking up a stance behind the strange kid so that he couldn't make a break away from them.

"Why are you watching us?" Peter demanded to know, his hands down at his sides but his fingers curled into fists.

"You tried the doors. Nobody ever tries the doors." The kid answered and Sydney let out a low growl, watching the kid in front of her tense from the sound. Good, apparently he hadn't noticed her behind him.

"Sounds like you have." Stiles pointed out.

"The ones that I could open, I've tried everything else."

"Not _everything_." Peter remarked. "You're still here."

"Yeah, it seems like you got some kind of a plan so why don't you tell us about it?" Stiles threw out. Sydney took a step closer to him and glared at the back of the kid's head. This, yes this was something she was familiar with. She could intimidate to get information, she could play the role of threatening werewolf in order to gain the upper hand, this was what she was good at.

"Unless you're one of them." Sydney piped up and caught sight of Peter staring at her, an unamused expression on his face. "You're _not_ one of them, are you?"

"Tell us your plan." Peter cut in, not wanting Sydney to steer the conversation in the wrong direction. He widened his eyes at her and she raised her hands in defeat. Okay, maybe this wasn't her moment to shine, maybe she could take a backseat to Stiles and Peter; after all, they had been here a lot longer than she had, maybe they knew more about this place.

"I can tell you, doesn't mean you can do it."

"Oh, we, we can do it," Stiles paused, looking at Peter before looking back at the kid, "he can, _he_ can…"

"So can she." Peter threw out, giving Sydney a slight nod of acknowledgement, the kid glancing over his shoulder to steal another look at her.

She snarled at the kid, challenging him without saying a word and hoping that whatever he was about to tell them would help them figure out how to get out of here. She wanted to get back to Bruin, she wanted Peter to meet his daughter, but she wanted to be somewhere where she felt safe and currently, safe was not what she felt, _at all_.

"Well, it's right in front of your face." The kid stated, turning to his left. Huh, well, she had noticed the big tunnel-like structure before, but it hadn't really crossed her mind that it was the way out. Maybe she was too concerned with Peter's presence, maybe she was distracted by everything that she was going to have to deal with when they did eventually get out of here…either way, there was a giant tunnel and none of them had suggested walking through it.

"That's not creepy at all." Sydney remarked and planted her hands on her hips. "No train tracks…"

"No trains." Stiles supplied and stole a glance back at the board where the times all still said 'delayed'.

"You didn't see it, did you?" The kid prompted, Sydney letting out a huff. Even if she _wanted_ to walk through it, it was as sketchy as tunnels came. This was a phantom train station, there were no tracks but was what Stiles said true, were there really no trains? She didn't want to wander into the tunnel only to come face to face with a bright light belonging to a speeding train, it wasn't the way she wanted to die.

"My grandma always taught me to be cautious of strange places." Sydney added matter-of-factly. "Especially dark ones."

"I saw it." Stiles countered, but Sydney could tell there was very little conviction to his tone.

"Then why'd you waste so much time running through the doors? I'll tell you why, because it's all part of the illusion. You're afraid, and they want you to be afraid." The kid baited them and she could tell that Peter and Stiles were eating it up. She let out a huff and took a step forward, ready to defend her two male counterparts, but Peter spoke up before she had a chance to argue with this guy.

"I'm not afraid." Peter protested, his voice nearing a growl, and moved towards the tunnel quickly. She rolled her eyes at him but fell in stride behind him, ready to go with him if he managed to make it into the tunnel.

When he reached the edge of the shadows though, Peter paused and took in a deep breath. Sydney could hear his heart starting to hammer against his chest and she reached a hand out, resting her palm on the back of his shoulder for support, to remind him that she was right there. They were in this together.

"Can't do it, can you?" The kid spoke up smugly. Sydney let out a low growl and set a glare in the kid's direction. He didn't even budge though. "He can't do it."

"We really should kill him." Peter grumbled and Sydney bit down on her bottom lip. She sucked in a deep breath and passed him, making her way towards the tunnel, stepping into the edges of the shadows.

"Can we kill someone who's already been erased?" Sydney posed, bringing up a valid point. Stiles shot her a glare but settled his eyes on Peter, ignoring her question all together.

"Or you can just walk through it." Stiles egged Peter on, while Sydney set her foot down just inside the walls of the tunnel. She clenched her fists at her sides and peered back at Peter, hoping that he'd come and join her soon enough.

"We can do it." She murmured and forced a smile onto her face. "We've faced worse than a creepy tunnel, right?"

Peter gave her a nod and made an attempt to step forward but he didn't move. He remained frozen in place and Sydney continued to watch him, waiting for him to step forward and walk with her through the sketchy walkway.

"Push me." Peter instructed. Sydney bit back the urge to laugh. What part of 'we've faced worse' was he having trouble with?

There had been an alpha pack, a dead pool, berserkers and _Kate_ Argent. Why was he so afraid of the dark all of a sudden?

"What did you say?" Stiles asked.

"Push me!" Peter repeated himself, this time a little louder and a little rougher. Sydney snorted at him and lunged forward at the same time that Stiles pushed Peter. As soon as he managed to catch up to her, Peter's arm came out and snaked around her waist, pulling her close to him. Her hip was against his as he took another step forward, moving deeper into the darkened tunnel.

"Together." Sydney murmured.

"Always." Peter whispered.

"Now you're getting it." The kid called from behind them and Sydney didn't even bother looking back at him. She was going to stick with Peter, she was going to stay by his side, and they'd face whatever was coming their way, _together_.

The kid moved past them and Sydney let out a breath, hoping that whatever was at the other end of the tunnel wasn't going to be anything worse than what she was used to facing.

"Stiles." Peter shouted but didn't look back. "Stiles, let's go."

She waited, hoping that Stiles would join them but he didn't seem to be moving. Sydney ran a nervous hand through her hair and let Peter pull her back towards the human teenager. When Peter grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him forward, she couldn't help but smile.

This was definitely something that the three of them could handle, she just hoped that they all made it through in one piece.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Judit Hale: did this sort of help with the idea that he's going to maybe try treating her better?_**

 ** _BeccaSco: Heh, well...what do you think about this?_**

 ** _WalterTheFemaleDuck: Soon...I promise he'll find out about her soon..._**

 ** _Thank you to everyone still reading this and the lovely people who have reviewed, or added it to their favourites and alerts._**


	13. Chapter 13

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 13** **:**

Sydney clung to Peter's hand, following behind him closely and hoping that this would lead them to a way out. She wanted to go home, she wanted to get back to her pack, to her family, she needed to make sure that Bruin was okay. She trusted the twins to look after her, but she didn't know what would happen to them once she was taken.

Would they turn on her child, would they forget about Bruin just like they forgot about her?

She didn't want to take that chance, and the sooner she could get back to her baby girl, the better off everyone would be.

"Congratulations, you found another part of the phantom train station." Peter remarked sarcastically, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. The four of them emerged at the other end of the tunnel and Sydney looked out at something that looked more like a train station than the part that they had been in before.

There were legitimate tracks on the ground surrounded by gravel, which she was careful to stay off of, and there was a giant ledge next to them that spanned out and provided benches to sit on. Why wasn't anyone in here then? Why weren't there any people waiting for the train in this part of the station?

"Creepy." Sydney murmured and felt a shudder run through her body. She made sure to keep her feet as far away from the tracks as possible but she still held on to Peter's hand, hoping that if they came across something, or _someone_ , that was a threat, the two of them could handle it, together. "At least there's real tracks here."

"What?" Peter turned to look at her, stopping in his tracks. She waved a hand down at the ground and when his eyes followed her lead, he took in the sight of the rusted and worn out old tracks stretching out in front of him. "When did those start?"

"I don't know, I wasn't really paying much attention." She shrugged and chanced a glance behind her, daring herself to look back in search of where the tracks began. Did they just start somewhere in the darkened tunnel or did they gradually form? She didn't know, but she knew that if they ventured back through the dim hallway, she'd pay more attention. "Think there's actually any trains here?"

It was Peter's turn to shrug and she nodded her understanding. This whole place was a mystery, he had no idea what was going on, _she_ certainly had no idea what was going on, yet they were following some random kid into the unknown, dragging Stiles along with them. What the hell were they thinking?

"Do you trust this guy?" Stiles stepped closer to them and lowered his voice so that only Sydney and Peter could hear him. Sydney shook her head no and Peter simply remained silent, not bothering to offer his opinion on the matter. "Is this the way out?"

"If it was, we would be leaving." Peter pointed out and Sydney sucked in a nervous breath. She watched as Stiles put more and more distance between him and them, leaving the strange kid out in front of them all.

"You might want to stay off the tracks."

"On it." Sydney remarked and felt Peter's hand grip hers tighter. "My grandma's number one rule for me as a kid was to stay away from the railroad tracks, I'm not stupid, I generally listened to her."

"I don't doubt it." Peter scoffed. It was sort of nice to hear her talking like nothing had changed. He missed her, he wouldn't deny it to anyone, and if he was going to get out of here, he was going to make sure it was with her. She was his mate, he loved her, and he wasn't going to put himself ahead of her again.

Too much time with her had been lost already because of him and now that he had her in his sights, Peter wasn't going to turn his back on her, not for anything, including power. He just needed to get the hell out of here.

"Are there trains?" Sydney quipped, directly her question at the kid leading them.

"What- no, no, just stay off the tracks because that's the way in _and_ out."

The kid in front of them slowed to a stop and looked out ahead of him. Another sketchy tunnel resided far in the distance but this one wasn't totally dark inside, no, this one was littered with a swirling black sky with wispy gray clouds. This was the way in _and_ out, what the hell did that mean?

If this kid knew that much about it, why hadn't he already tried to use it?

"So let's go?" Sydney threw out, a questioning tone to her voice. "Or…what exactly are we waiting for?"

Peter's claws bit into the skin on her hand and she gaped from the pain that she hadn't been expecting. Well this was certainly one thing she _didn't_ miss about Peter, at least with him gone, she was the alpha and everyone listened to her, without too many questions. But Peter, god, she remembered how frustrating he could be, especially when they were talking about something that she wasn't necessarily knowledgeable with.

He treated her like he was superior, and maybe he was a little wiser than her, possibly in better control of his shifting, but still, that didn't mean she wasn't smart, or strong, or brave. No, she was all of those things, Peter didn't know the half of it. She had survived this long without him, and it hadn't been because of dumb luck.

A crack of thunder echoed in the high-ceilinged room that they had found themselves in. Wind seemed to pick up and Sydney's body tensed at the faint sounds of horses neighing. She knew what this meant, this was exactly what had happened before she had been taken from the preserve, but why would…why would the Ghost Riders come through here?

Was there some sort of passage here, was this the entrance that they used to get into the train station? She tensed next to Peter and watched the wide opening in front of them, waiting for whatever was going to happen _to_ happen. If the Ghost Riders were coming, she was going to fight, if that was the plan of course.

"They're coming." The kid announced, telling her something that she already knew. She braced her body but she didn't get a chance to stay and fight.

Before she knew it, Peter was hauling her towards the ledge, pushing her up onto it before lifting himself up onto it too. She watched as Stiles and the kid went ahead, tucking themselves behind one of the giant pillars on the edge of the ledge.

She stuck right with Peter and leaned against his back, holding on to his hand as he leaned over and peered down at the newly discovered entrance. She held her breath, fearful of making any sound, no matter how small, and when horses, with Ghost Riders on them, began to break through some sort of supernatural barrier, Peter hauled her against his chest, spun around and pressed his back against the pillar.

She buried her face into the front of his shoulder and clung to him for dear life. She didn't want them to see her, she didn't want them to hurt her, she just wanted to figure out how to get home. If this was the way out, then that meant they were one step closer to getting back to Beacon Hills, they just had to figure out _how_.

Focusing her ears in on Peter's pounding heart, she let her eyes fall shut and forced the sounds of the horses to the back of her mind. She was with Peter, he was right there with her, his arms around her back as he held her tight against him. Everything would be okay, so long as she had him.

Peter's hand roamed up her back and he gently grasped the back of her neck, tangling his fingers in her hair and gingerly forcing her head backwards so that his eyes could meet hers. She stared back at him, forcing out her alpha reds, but he didn't dare match hers with his own icy blues, no, he was focused on the horses, watching as the Ghost Riders sped through the tunnel that they had just emerged from.

He nudged her forward and moved towards a bench just in front of them. Sydney continued to cling to him though, her hands on the collar of his jacket as she held him firmly in front of her. She peered up at him but he was looking past her, his eyes boring into the kid's.

"That's the way out?" Peter shot out at the kid, fear evident in his tone. "How in the _hell_ are we supposed to do that?"

"We jump." The kid answered, as if it was the most obvious thing ever. Jump, they were supposed to jump, what like hold hands and leap through the portal, hoping that they'd land back home, or at the very least, somewhere _near_ home.

"Jump?" Peter retorted.

"On the back of the riders as they go through."

"Is that all?" Peter countered.

"What?" Sydney gasped. "What no, no we can't…we can't just _do_ that!"

Yes, yes she wanted a way out but getting on the same horse as a Ghost Rider, wasn't that basically like asking for trouble? She didn't see any good outcome from joining the Riders on their horses, if they even managed to get that far. What was stopping them from throwing her off the horse, or having the horse rear back so that she fell off. No, no this plan was crazy, it was borderline suicidal.

"I've been timing it. Look, we can jump from here just before they go out." The kid explained. Sydney cocked her head sideways and turned to face him straight on. She didn't want to stay here, but she didn't want to try this random kid's half-assed plan either, especially not without knowing what could possibly go wrong.

"I'm not…" Sydney shook her head and sucked in a breath, calming herself before continuing. "There has to be another way, there's has to be something _better_."

"We have to do it this way." The kid supplied and she remained silent, yet she shook her head no furiously. Nope, no way was she going to just jump on the back of a Ghost Rider's horse.

She'd fight, she'd stand her ground, but this was a whole other ball game. This was their world and she wasn't going to do anything without having some sort of advantage. This plan, the kid's plan, gave them nothing. Plus even if they did manage to get on one of the horses, what was stopping the Ghost Rider from killing them, or throwing them right back off?

Nope, she was staying put, until it became obvious that it was their last resort.

"I think you're confusing your pronouns, _we_ aren't going to do anything but _you_ should absolutely give that a shot." Peter remarked. She rolled her eyes at him but stood with him. If he wasn't willing to try this, then it just solidified her stance on the matter.

This idea was crazy, insane even, and she wasn't about to put herself directly in the sights of the Ghost Riders.

"Do you not want to get out of here?" The kid tossed out, Sydney contemplated his question. Did she want to get out of here, well yes, yes definitely, but there had to be a better way, right?

"We want to get out alive, okay? How do you know this works? Seems like a lot could go wrong." Stiles voiced, Sydney nodding along with him.

"Look, I can't stay here, I'm losing my mind in this place."

"I only just got here, I'm not…I don't think this is a good idea. If your idea is so simple, why hasn't anyone else tried it already? Or better yet, why haven't you just walked through the…the…whatever that is?" Sydney asked and waved her hand towards where the horses had come through not long ago. "There's nothing stopping you now, is there?"

"What?" The kid looked at Sydney with wide eyes, and quickly Stiles and Peter followed his lead. She shrugged her shoulders at them but stared right back, not entirely sure what their deal was, or why they were looking at her.

"That's a decent point." Stiles pointed his finger in her direction and she cocked her head sideways.

"Okay." She rolled her eyes and let out a huff. "It's actually a terrible idea though, we have no idea what's going to happen to us, _any_ of us, if we try to go through and I'm not sure about you kid but I've got more to consider than just being _stuck_ here."

"Like what?" The kid shot back at her, urging her to counter him yet again.

"A family for starters." She protested. "Whatever, you know what, you can do whatever you want."

"I'm with her." Peter tossed out and Sydney shook her head at him. It was certainly nice to have him on her side. "I think you have an excellent grasp of the situation. I say go for it."

"Peter-" Stiles started to protest but a loud, viscous neigh echoed out from the tunnel that they had ventured through.

"Hey, they're coming back." The kid broke in.

Sydney closed the distance between her and Peter and felt his arm band around her waist as he pulled her against him. Without any more words shared between them, the kid stepped forward, pulling away from them, and shimmied around one of the pillars. Stiles made a move to hug the pillar nearest him while Peter ushered her over to a third pillar.

Her back pressed against the cool concrete and she tipped her head back, her forehead mere inches from his, and she looked into his eyes. He was distracted though, a look of sheer terror crossed his face which only served to make Sydney more nervous.

Gripping his jacket harder, she pressed her chest against his and took in a deep breath, memorizing his scent before locking her ears onto his beating heart. It was thrumming frantically inside his chest and she knew, without having to tune into her own, that she was feeling much the same.

Stiles darted over towards them, his shoulder colliding with Sydney's back and causing her to stumble, but Peter's grip on her never faltered and he kept her against him, protecting her from whatever they were about to face. She took her bottom lip in between her teeth and let out a small whimper, just loud enough to draw Peter's attention to her for a split second.

"I need to tell you something." She confessed in a whisper, the idea of facing a Ghost Rider head on spurring her to admit what she had been keeping from him. "It's important and you…you need to know."

"Maybe now's not a good time." Peter offered up, his voice calmer than she figured he'd be able to manage. "Let's just…focus on getting through this."

"So we're really letting the kid do this?" Sydney questioned, Peter titling his head sideways in contemplation.

"No, we can't let him do this, right?" Stiles quipped, looking from Sydney to Peter and back to Sydney. She shook her head slightly and peered past Peter, catching sight of the strange kid leaning out over the tracks.

Was he really going to do this? Was he going to just throw himself onto the back of a Ghost Rider's horse with the hopes of making it through the supernatural doorway?

"What if he's right?" Peter supplied.

"What if it works? What if this is the only way home?" Sydney added.

Stiles held her gaze and she sucked in a breath, holding it as she watched, hoping that the kid knew what he was doing. She wasn't about to follow his lead but watching him- this could definitely get them some sort of insight, right? If the kid managed to make it out of here, then they could easily just wait for the Ghost Riders to show up yet again.

"Hey, we'll figure something else out." Stiles called out to the kid and Sydney gripped Peter's jacket harder, so hard that her knuckles were white. "Hey, look, there's got to be another way out of this place."

"But there isn't; I've been looking for months. Are you coming or not?"

Months? This kid had been here for months? Oh dear Jesus, was this what they were all going to end up like? Driven insane by the amount of time spent in this supernatural version of purgatory?

Sucking in a breath, she looked over Peter's shoulder, her eyes never leaving the kid as he prepared himself to do exactly what he had informed them he was going to do. Would they end up following in his footsteps, would this be the way for her to get back to her pack, back to Bruin?

A sudden urge of desperation to get back home flooded through her body and she prayed that this kid could pull it off. It sounded easy, maybe _too_ easy, but that didn't meant it wouldn't work, right?

"It's all you." Peter stated, throwing a lame thumbs up in his direction.

"Oh god." Sydney groaned and felt her back press harder into the pillar as Peter pulled away from her, but only so that he could put a stop to Stiles making a move to prevent the kid from going for it. She latched onto the back of his jacket and held him in front of her, all the while Peter pulled the lanky human teenager back, keeping him out of the Ghost Riders way.

"Let him try." Peter demanded, his hold on Stiles never faltering.

The kid leapt off the edge of the platform at just the right moment and he landed on the back of the horse near the back, gripping the Ghost Rider and holding on for dear life. She continued to hold her breath, watching and silently praying that he'd make it, that he'd get through the supernatural gateway and back to the real world, if that's even what awaited him on the other side.

"Come on, come on." Peter chanted, apparently he was hoping for the same thing as she was. She didn't know what to think though, yes his leap onto the horse had been flawless but now that he was actually riding along with them, she found herself wishing this was the answer.

The Ghost Rider seemed unfazed by the kid's presence on the back of his horse and he carried on galloping, heading straight for the exit. Once the Rider was near enough to it, the space in front of him rippled and splintered but while the horse, and rider, went through it, the kid was thrown backwards, letting out a pained scream as he flew back down to meet the ground, _hard._

"The hell?" Sydney cried out and felt her legs threatening to buckle underneath her. He couldn't get out, he couldn't go through the exit, but what did that mean for the rest of them? Maybe it had something to do with supernatural, right, she was supernatural, so was Peter, maybe they…maybe they could do it…but was it worth the risk in trying?

The kid writhed around on the ground, his cries of pain getting louder and louder as a green vapour floated away from his body, evaporating into the air. She leaned in a little closer and watched carefully as he wriggled and moved before his body seemed to dissolve right in front of them.

First his skin and muscles disintegrated, leaving behind a skeleton for a split second before it too, dissolved into nothing. Just nothing, there was no trace of the kid and even his screams faded away until they were no longer heard echoing in the train station.

Had he really just disappeared into thin air? Just like that?

"Holy fuck." Sydney hissed. "You guys saw that, right? He just…he's just gone?"

"Somehow I don't think that went the way that he was hoping." Peter remarked, a casualness to his tone that had Sydney on edge. Oh god, their only lead on a way out had just disappeared right in front of their very eyes. What were they going to do, what could they possibly come up with now?

"Is he…did he die?" Sydney pressed, wanting to know yet not wanting to know at the same time. Had the kid who had willingly helped them just evaporated, never to be seen from or heard from _ever_ again?

"I don't- I'm not sure." Stiles provided her an answer that she wasn't entirely confident in. She knew that it would be hard pressed to call the kid alive but then again, no body, no proof; she just never imagined that she'd ever witness a human being turn to dust.

Stiles broke away from Peter and made a break for the edge of the platform, dropping down onto the stones that lined the tracks. He broke out into a run but Sydney was frozen in place, watching helplessly as the human she trusted with her life ran towards the kid that had given his up on a whim.

"Stiles, he's dead. You see his face? Trust me, he's gone." Peter tossed out and kept his stance next to Sydney.

"That was disturbing." Sydney murmured and rolled her shoulders back, trying to gather herself together before she totally fell apart. She didn't want that to happen to her, or anyone else, especially not when there had to be another way out, right? There just had to be.

There was no way that they were stuck here forever, not when she had a child to look after, a baby girl to raise and protect. Bruin wasn't going to grow up without her mother, and Sydney wasn't going to let that happen either. She was going to get back to her, no matter what it took.

"You knew he'd die." Stiles said softly, more to himself than to them. Sydney sucked in a breath and blew it out loudly, Peter glancing at her. She nodded that she was just fine, well aside from witnessing the sight that had unfolded in front of her of course. It wasn't like she could do anything about it at this point.

"I didn't _know_. I mean, I assumed…" Peter trailed off, waving his hands out in front of him in a dramatic gesture.

"Yeah, but you could have warned him." Stiles shot back, rounding on his heels. The teenager's glare locked on Peter and he moved back towards them quickly, and with conviction.

"He was going to do it anyway. Now, we know." Peter argued. Sydney pushed herself away from the pillar and turned her back to him. She wandered away from the pillar and over towards the wall, trying to calm her breathing. She was starting to freak out, she could feel it in her body.

"Know what?" Stiles retorted.

"That we're stuck, it's over. We are trapped because that was our only way out." Peter fired back at him, he too dropped down off the platform but Sydney refused to go with him. She heard his feet connect with the loose rocks on either side of the tracks but she didn't say a word. She was too busy focusing on herself and not totally freaking the hell out.

She sucked in a breath and forced it out, repeating the steps over and over again. Breath in, breath out. In…out. She wanted to get to Bruin, she wanted to get the hell out of here. What the hell had she been thinking to start with?

Was trying to save Peter, and Stiles, worth it if it meant she might bring some sort of harm, physical or psychological, to her child? A child Peter didn't even know about nonetheless?

"Oh my god." Sydney groaned and lowered her body down into a squat. She hugged her knees and dropped her head, staring at her feet as she tried to relax. This place was a step before hell, and she didn't know if they'd be able to figure a way out of here.

Stiles had already been stuck here for who knew how long, and he was no closer than she was. She had only shown up a little while ago, and surely the three of them could've developed some sort of lead to a plan by now. Except they had been distracted, and distractions were never good.

The kid was gone, he was dead, and they were no further ahead than they had been before he had decided to jump and make a break for it.

"Maybe that's just what they want us to believe." Stiles' voice caught her attention but she didn't dare move, no, this was good. If she could just stay in her position, hugging her knees and thinking of happier times, then maybe she could pull it together long enough to come up with even just a hint of a better idea on how to get the hell out of here. "Hey Syd, you okay?"

"No." She whimpered and shook her head.

"Syd, come here!" Stiles called to her and she squeezed her eyes shut, picturing her darling little baby girl. She had to focus, she had to, she needed to get out of here for Bruin. Everything hinged on her getting out of this place and back to her baby girl.

That would be her goal, her sole focus. If she could channel all of her energy into reminding herself that she had a daughter waiting for her back in Beacon Hills then maybe she could hold it all together for the time being.

Slowly and surely Sydney rose up to her feet, opening her eyes and feeling the vibrant red of her alpha eyes lingering in her irises. She blinked, forcing the colour back to her usual brown before rounding on her feet. She steadied her breathing as best as she could and walked across the platform, pausing briefly at the edge and then dropping down. Closing in on the two of them, she came up behind Peter and slipped her arm around his, holding on to him tightly.

"We can figure this out, maybe he was doing something wrong, maybe…maybe we can still get out of here." Stiles offered, Sydney giving him a nod of appreciation. She knew what he was doing, and while it _did_ make her feel a little bit better, she wasn't entirely confident that there was going to be another way out.

"What? What is it with you teenagers? You think that you're so special? You think the rules don't apply to you? Do you get it? We are dead and buried." Peter countered. Sydney was jerked forward as Peter reached into Stiles' pocket and pulled out his wallet, flipping it open and starting to go through the contents. She refused to let go of him though and her body jerked and twisted with each movement he made.

"Maybe now's a good time to talk." Sydney spoke up, trying to diffuse the situation, but Peter pulled out a handful of bills before letting them fall to the ground in front of him. "Peter please?"

"Money? It's worthless." Peter freed Stiles' license from its slot and tossed it to the ground, following it up by dropping his credit cards too. "Driver's license? Credit cards?"

"Give me my damn wallet back-" Stiles protested and Sydney forced her claws out, grabbing his arm harder, the tips of her talons biting into the skin of his arm, only his jacket stopping her from tearing into his flesh.

"It's all meaningless." Peter growled and held Stiles keys in front of his face, letting them dangle between him and Stiles. "Keys?"

"Give me my keys." Stiles demanded but Peter wound up and threw them halfway down the platform, a jingling sound echoing as they landed on the hard, concrete floor.

"What, did you think you were going to drive us out of here? Is that what you thought? Do you get it? We don't exist, and we are already forgotten." Peter's tone was nothing short of frantic and fear filled and Sydney couldn't help but wonder if he was right.

He was often more knowledgeable when it came to the supernatural but surely he was giving up too soon, right? Peter Hale had more fight in him than this, no, this was a pathetic display of defeat. Maybe if he knew…if he knew about Bruin…maybe she could convince him to not give up. Maybe…just maybe it was possible.

"Somebody's going to remember me. Either Lydia, or Scott…Malia, someone. They're going to find me, all right? They'll come for me. Who would ever come for you?" Stiles leveled a glare on Peter, his voice eerily calm.

"Probably no one now that I'm already here." Sydney piped up.

"Yeah, yeah you're right Syd. I still don't know what the hell you see in this guy." Stiles shook his head in disappointment and she opened her mouth to respond but found that she had no words for him.

He was angry, that's what it was, he didn't mean to make her feel so bad. She had come for Peter but she had also come for him, he had to see that, right? She wasn't just Peter's connection to the outside world, she was Stiles' too.

"That's not fair." Sydney murmured. "You can't…you don't know that I'm the _only_ one that would come for him."

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that someone will come for me." Stiles countered and Sydney bit back any form of reply. She wasn't going to make this worse for her, no, she'd let him simmer down and maybe try talking to him when he was a little calmer. This place wasn't good for them, for any of them. She just needed to give Stiles what little time she could afford.

"You give me a call when your high school sweethearts conjure up a plan to get out of here." Peter said rather calmly.

She turned to go with him, shooting Stiles a sympathetic glance before following his lead, her grasp on his arm never breaking. When she faced forward and her eyes fell on the tunnel that they had come through to get this far, she sucked in a breath, forced her claws away and spoke.

"There's a little girl waiting for me at home, her name is Bruin." Sydney confessed softly, Peter looking sideways at her, confusion evident in his eyes. "She's your daughter."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _:O Did I really just leave it there? Thoughts?_**

 ** _Judit Hale: heh, oops, not quite to the point where Peter reacts to Bruin just yet but soon, I promise lol._**

 ** _BeccaSco: I'm sorry for leaving you like that before...this one probably hurts just as much haha_**

 ** _Guest: Oh! Why thank you! I hope you liked this installment and now you don't have to scream at anyone_**


	14. Chapter 14

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 14** **:**

"A daughter?" Peter's words sounded out of his mouth yet again while the two of them sat side by side on one of the benches back in the train station. She was leaning against him, her head on his shoulder, while holding his hand between hers.

Peter hadn't seem angry with her, not considering the bomb that she had dropped on him earlier, but that didn't mean he wasn't a little upset. He had a daughter, _another_ daughter, and Sydney felt bad enough for keeping it from him this long. What other choice did she really have though? When would a good time have been before she had made the split second decision to mention Bruin?

"Yeah." Sydney let out a sigh as she pictured the tiny little baby that had given her a new sense of purpose in life. Bruin had been a surprise, a not so pleasant one at that, but once she had come along, there was no doubt in Sydney's mind that keeping her had been the right choice. Bruin was her baby, Bruin was her child, and nothing was going to take that away from her, not the Ghost Riders and certainly not Peter, for whatever reason. "She's only a few months old, obviously."

"You were pregnant…when I was locked away." He was talking things out more than anything but she gave him a small nod, letting him know that was precisely what had happened. "Did you _know_ before-"

"No, god no. I didn't find out until I had been in Colorado for a few weeks." Sydney cut him off and let out a soft breath. "I didn't know what to do, and I don't know, getting rid of…not going through with having her didn't seem right."

"You said- you said you didn't _want_ children." Peter pointed out and stole a look at her, taking in the somber expression on her face. She offered him up a lame little shrug and let her eyes fall shut, picturing her daughter.

She was worried that something had already happened to the rest of her pack, that they could easily turn on Bruin, not even know who she really was, but what could she do about it from here? What was she supposed to do except try and find a way out of here, a way back home?

"I didn't." Sydney said honestly. "I just…I don't know…she's here now so it doesn't matter."

"She." Peter murmured the word, tasting it on his tongue. She gave his hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze, and let out a soft sigh, wondering what they were supposed to do now. Stiles was sitting across from them and Sydney kept glancing his way, making sure he hadn't moved too far away, but Peter had given up hope of getting out of here before they had even sat down.

Would this change things? Would knowing about Bruin want to make him try harder to get back to Beacon Hills?

That's what she was hoping for, at the very least, she needed him on board with helping her get back. She needed to get to her baby girl, she needed to make sure that her pack was okay.

"She's perfect." Sydney whispered. "Sometime when I look at her, if I can catch her at just the right minute, there's a flicker of red that swirls through her eyes."

"What?" Peter stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"I don't know, but Charlie's seen it too. She gets this hint of red in her eyes."

"Like an alpha?" Peter pressed, Sydney peeling herself away from him and straightening up on the bench beside him. She turned her butt against the hard wood and faced him a little more directly but she dropped her eyes to their hands, which never pulled apart. "Is our daughter an alpha?"

Sydney shrugged one more time and lifted her head, meeting his eyes, "sort of. She's just a baby though, so I don't know what it means. I've never heard of a baby alpha but then again, alpha females seem to run in my family."

Peter blew out a breath of his own and lifted his free hand up, gingerly running his fingers along her jaw, feeling her soft, smooth skin and relishing in the fact that she was real. He could literally reach out and touch her, she was here with him, she was alive and just fine, and she had managed to find him. How had he managed to find a woman like her, a woman who was willing to sacrifice taking care of her- no _their_ \- child, in order to look for him?

"What colour are her eyes when they're not red?" Peter asked, a small smile pulling at Sydney's lips at the thought of talking to him about such simple things when it came to Bruin. They were currently in a bit of a lull, there was nothing exciting happening and maybe it was just the calm before the storm.

It didn't matter to her, she wasn't going to take it for granted, no, she was going to use the time to catch up with the man she loved, the man that had been missing from her life for way too long.

"Brown, like mine." Sydney answered. "She's got darker hair too, god, she's so beautiful, and she's such a good baby. She sleeps through most of the night."

"Derek was like that." Peter gave her a small nod.

"Derek adores her too." Sydney added on.

"Derek...adores her?"

"Yeah, he's staying in Beacon Hills, he came to see her." Sydney explained. "He's living in his loft and Isaac's staying with him too."

"Isaac…Lahey?" Peter drew the name out and Sydney gave him an excited nod.

"Well he couldn't very well stay with me in the house, him and Charlie are sort of a thing and I'm not an irresponsible alpha." Sydney let out a low giggle and he shook his head at her.

"Oh." Peter removed his eyes from hers and stole a look over at Stiles, who was borderline pouting. He tried to gather his thoughts, sort through the questions that he wanted to ask, but it was all just a jumbled mess inside his head.

He had been gone for so long, he had missed out on so much, but Sydney was right here, she was with him at that very minute, and all he wanted to do was get the two of them out of there so that she could take him to his daughter, the one with the red in her eyes.

Was it possible that his daughter was an alpha? Was she going to be some sort of powerful werewolf?

Part of him figured that was exactly what was going to happen. Bruin was a mix of him and Sydney, and Sydney was a very powerful wolf in her own right. It wasn't too farfetched to think that their offspring would be superior, right?

"I'm sorry." Sydney breathed the words out, Peter slowly turning his attention back to her. He cocked his head in confusion and she sucked in a deep breath, preparing herself to respond. "For not trying to find you earlier. For not…"

"You don't have to be sorry for anything." Peter spoke up and peeled his hand away from hers, snaking his arm around her shoulder instead. He pulled her closer to him and felt her relax against his side, Sydney even letting out a soft sigh of relief as she curled into his hold.

"I want you…I want you to see her so bad." She confessed. "I want her to know you, I want you to be there for her."

"Nothing will stop that from happening." Peter remarked.

"Except for the fact that we're sitting in a non-existent train station with no way out." Sydney countered. "Maybe that kid…maybe he was on to something, maybe that's the only way out."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Peter's forehead gently fell to rest against hers and she peered at him through her lashes. He closed the distance between them and pressed his lips against hers, loving the feeling of her being there with him. He could kiss her any time he wanted, he could hold her and touch her any time he wanted, and now if he could just get back to Beacon Hills, and meet his daughter-

"Stiles knows her." Sydney piped up. "And the sheriff, and Parrish…and well…a lot of other people."

"She's safe, right?"

"I'm pretty sure."

"Where is she right now, where's Bruin?" The name sounded different coming from Peter's lips but nonetheless, it was still perfect. "Bruin…that's a unique name."

"It's my mom and dad's names mushed together. And I left her at the house, with the twins. They're really good with her, I trust them."

"I trust you." Peter added quickly. "I trust you completely."

"Okay." She bowed her head, resting her chin on his shoulder, Peter pressing a sweet little kiss against her forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too."

A silence fell over them and Sydney took a few seconds to look around the room, searching for a way out. She knew what was down the tunnel, she knew how the Ghost Riders got in and out of here, but she also knew that the kid that had tried to go through with them the last time had dissolved into dust.

Was that what would happen to her too, even if she was a werewolf? Would it matter if she was supernatural?

Her eyes landed on Stiles and she watched him carefully as he conversed with the woman next to him, an old woman, who seemed to not have a care in the world. God, didn't these people realize they were all doomed, unless they did something about it? No one, except for her, Peter and Stiles, were even aware of the danger they were in, and no one was doing anything about it.

"I'm sorry you had to go through everything alone." Peter said softly and she forced a smile onto her lips. "You should've been enough for me."

"Yeah well, I knew what I was getting into when I first told you that I love you. You were quite an asshole back then, and I'm guessing you probably still are." She teased and bit back the urge to chuckle at him. "It doesn't matter, we just have to get out of here okay, we'll worry about everything else once we're out of here."

"We could try," Peter paused and turned his attention towards the tunnel, "we could try going through the rift."

"Okay, and what happens if we dissolve just like that kid did?" Sydney asked. "Then what happens to Bruin?"

"We can heal faster." Peter stated. "We're stronger too."

Sydney sucked in a breath and took his words to heart. He wasn't wrong, but was it possible for them to make it through the rift, as Peter had called it, without turning to dust? What _would_ happen to Bruin if they both managed to wind up dead in this world? Would she be okay, hell, she wouldn't even know who they were, unless for some reason the pack could come up with some way to remember her.

But that seemed unlikely. Things could only be getting worse in the real world and the longer that Sydney spent trapped in this train station, the more that she felt herself starting to panic.

"I _will_ protect you." Peter murmured and pressed another kiss against her forehead. She nodded her understanding and felt a shudder run through her body. This entire place gave her the creeps and she didn't know how to fix that. At least having Peter right next to her provided her with a bit of comfort, plus Stiles was within eyesight, if anyone could figure out a way out of here, it would be him.

"Yeah?" Sydney quipped, recalling so many times before when it had been her jumping in front of him.

When the mouthless assassin had attempted to kill him, she had been the one to get in front of Peter and keep the assassin's focus on her. She had been the one who had protected him, she had been the alpha and he should've been the beta. She knew that he had never accepted that though, no, in Peter's mind, he was the alpha, he'd always _be_ the alpha, she just hoped that this time he meant what he said.

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, you Sydney, are not one of them." Peter said softly.

"Let's get the hell out of here." Sydney replied with a firm nod of her head. "So you can meet Bruin."

When the gravelly voice came over the P.A. system yet again, Sydney shifted away from Peter and made her way to her feet. She looked over at Stiles, and then back to Peter, before her eyes landed on the board that told everyone in the train station that the stops were cancelled.

Rolling her eyes, she made a move to lower herself back down onto the bench next to Peter, but he was already on his feet, moving closer to the wall as the mechanical voice continued to speak from the P.A. system

"The following stops have been canceled, Hollatine, Batten, Bay Burry, Deer Ridge, Red Oak, Trenton, Anderson, King Springs."

Sydney's eyes followed Stiles as he too wandered towards the wall, looking up at the speaker where the voice was coming from. Huh, that was…that was definitely something to check out, whoever was making these announcements had to know something, right?

She peered up at the wall the same as Stiles and closed in on him, rounding the end of the bench she had been sitting on. He didn't tear his eyes away from the wall though, not even as she came to stand next to him, temporarily losing sight of Peter.

"God dammit." She hissed and threw her hands into the air, letting them settle on her hips as she peered around the room, not getting too far away from Stiles as she tried to lock her eyes on the man she loved.

It was no use, Peter wasn't there, he wasn't anywhere near her. When Stiles began moving though, she knew it was better to stick with one person than lose both, so she reluctantly started falling in step behind him, marching along side by side as Stiles followed the path of the cables and wires that were connected to the speaker.

Right, yes, okay, she could follow his train of thought now, maybe they could find whoever was talking, they could demand answers, and maybe find a more reasonable way out than jumping through some creepy supernatural doorway that could possibly obliterate her in a matter of seconds.

"Peter?" She hissed in a low tone but remained right next to Stiles, maintaining pace with him as she peered all around her, finally locating the man in question, but only from the scent. When she wandered past the giant pillar, she froze in her tracks and reached a hand out, slapping him on the chest before grabbing his hand.

She wasn't going to let him get away from her again, she wasn't going to let herself get distracted, no matter what.

"Intercom." Peter piped up, giving her fingers a reassuring squeeze. "I thought you were following me."

"No." Sydney shook her head and looked over at Stiles, who had stopped moving as well and was now staring at the two of them.

"Maybe a radio?" Peter tossed out, giving her arm a little tug as he pushed himself away from the pillar. He paused though and closed the distance between them, planting a quick, soft kiss on her lips, which she greatly appreciated. Was it his silent way of apologizing for running off on her, for scaring her and thinking that she had lost him? Maybe, but she wasn't going to think _too_ much about it, no, they still had to get the hell out of this place.

Sydney fell in stride next to Peter, Stiles joining them, and the three of them wandered over towards the door that was located below where the wires disappeared into the wall. If there was a radio behind the door, then maybe they could contact someone, maybe the sheriff, maybe Parrish, and let them know where they were. Was it possible that anyone could come and save them, or did the rift work the same on the other side as it did in here?

"This place gives me the creeps." Sydney muttered and brought her free hand across her stomach, hugging it against herself. "I want to go home."

"Maybe this is how we get to do that." Stiles stated and was the first to reach the door. He ran his hand along the frame but settled his fingers around the handle before giving it a turn. Much to their surprise, the thing wasn't locked, and within a few seconds, Stiles had it pushed open and was slowly and carefully crossing over the threshold.

Sydney was hesitant to follow but when Peter gently pulled her forward, she moved smoothly and stuck right with them. Maybe being in this room was better than being out in the open, where they were all exposed. In here, she wouldn't have to look around and see comatose person after comatose person, which was something that was starting to grate on her nerves.

Didn't these people have families, did they not remember them? Maybe they wanted to be here, maybe they had no idea what was happening, or what was waiting for them back in the real world.

Sydney wasn't like that though, she knew she had a pack, she had Bruin, and she needed to get back to them.

"Maybe…" Stiles announced and trailed off, moving ahead of them. He began scrounging around on the tables, looking under them and in the few drawers that were visible. Sydney herself freed her hand from Peter's and shut the door behind them, leaning against it, holding it shut while she watched Stiles moving frantically around the room.

"You going to try and radio your dad?" Sydney quipped and brought her arms up, crossing them over her chest. "Or Parrish?"

"What? What no?" Stiles countered. "But if I can…if I can get the radio working, I can maybe pick up a frequency from the real world, break through using radio waves and communicate that way."

Sydney tipped her head sideways and sucked in a breath. Apparently this was much more complicated than she had been thinking, there was no one hidden away back here, no one that could give them information, instead, Stiles was going to try to what, manufacture some sort of way to get a frequency through to Beacon Hills?

It sounded hard, and complicated, and Sydney knew that she wouldn't be much help. She wasn't anticipating Peter's lack of enthusiasm though. No, he was looking around the room, pacing up and down the table. His hands grabbed hold of a broken piece of equipment, which he studied for a second before dropping it loudly back to the surface that he had picked it up from.

"Your theory is ridiculous." Peter stated, his voice calm for the time being. She scoffed at him though and tipped her head back, feeling it connect with the dusty wood of the doorframe. "Magnetic disturbances and a few pixelated photos doesn't mean that you can use a ham radio to communicate across a supernatural barrier."

"But you could…" Sydney trailed off and leaned forward, moving her head away from the doorway. "This was stupid, I should never have come here."

"What?" Peter leveled her with a glare and she raised her hands in surrender.

"I feel Stiles' pain." She stated bluntly. "If it's bad enough, I can feel it, it's how I've managed to save him a few times, which means that if I had stayed out there, in the real world, then I would've been the one who would've been able to help you get the fuck out of here."

"I'm not in any pain." Stiles pointed out and stopped moving around the room for a second. He was crouched down beside the table but he met her eyes and she nodded her understanding.

"You would've thought of it eventually." Sydney forced a smile onto her face. "You always figure things out."

"Maybe but you're here and you're no good to us out there if you're not actually out _there_." Stiles replied.

Hauling himself up and away from the floor, Stiles flopped down into a worn looking old chair. He peered up at Peter as the older man crossed his line of sight, but Sydney was looking around the room, searching for anything that might help them. She had no idea how anything in here worked and she knew she wasn't going to be much help, but she could stand at the door and play the role of guard, yes, she was very good at that.

"Too bad no one else had a weird connection like us." Sydney remarked with a snort.

"Yeah, no, it's probably a good thing that there's no one out there that we know of who can feel someone else's pain." Stiles remarked and she nodded her head.

"It'd make things easier for _us_ though." Sydney pointed out. "I should've brought one of the twins, maybe they have some weird sibling bond that works in a similar way-"

"Not to put a damper on your wonderful ideas, but none of them are of any use." Peter cut in, leveling her with a glare. She huffed at him and slumped against the door, remaining on her feet as she shook her head at him. "Ghost Riders can't be seen, heard, or remembered, you two really think they're going to leave a gadget around that you can use to call your friends?"

Peter's hand reached out and he grabbed onto the nearby knob on the wall, giving it a hard twist. Sydney immediately lifted her hands up and covered her ears, wondering what the hell he had done and where the high pitched, screaming noise had suddenly come from.

Oh god, had Peter done that, had it been intentional. When she looked over at Stiles, he too was covering his ears, letting out a grunt from the sound piercing into his skull.

Before she could open her mouth to say something, Peter turned the knob backwards and the noise faded. The screeching sound came to a stop and was replaced with a soothing static sound instead, Sydney letting out a soft sigh of relief as she relaxed against the seam of the doorway, feeling her hearing going back to normal.

"God dammit." She growled and stared at Peter, her eyes glowing the slightest bit red. "What the hell did you do that for?"

Peter shot her a look but leaned against the edge of the table that Stiles was sitting at. She cocked her head sideways but he didn't answer, instead, his eyes were locked on the wall in front of him, the very wall containing all sorts of wires and plugs.

Well shit, did Peter know something about the way that this old radio worked or was he merely touching things like an undisciplined toddler with the hopes that something might be good for them all. When he brought his arms up and crossed them over his chest, he stole a quick look at Sydney and shook his head.

"Take your time. No rush, only thing at stake is any evidence of our _existence_ soon to be lost _forever_." Peter stated and Sydney let out a growl.

"Okay, not helping." Stiles shot back at him and Sydney lifted a hand up, running it through her hair. She brought her bottom lip in between her teeth and felt the ground beneath her feet beginning to vibrant.

Uh oh, that wasn't good. Just like the glass of water in Jurassic Park, she knew that nothing good was coming with the vibrations in the floor and with each second, they seemed to grow stronger.

Was their plan to stay in here and hide, or were they going to have to get the hell out of here, would the Ghost Riders come in here looking for them and find them? They were sitting ducks in here, and what would happen if they _were_ found. They were already erased from reality, so what would happen if they were killed here?

Peter's head turned towards the door at the obvious sound of the neighing horses and Sydney forced her shoulders back, holding her body tight against the wall, hoping that she'd be strong enough to keep them out, if that's what the plan even was. But Peter's eyes widened in fear and he surged forward, ripping and pulling wires out of the wall, leaving them limply hanging from where they had been plugged in.

"We need to go." Peter hissed and bee lined it right for Sydney, grabbing her by the wrist and ripping the door open.

She didn't have any time to reply before they slipped out the door, Stiles following behind them closely. He led them both towards one of the giant pillars and ushered her in front of him, pressing her back against the wall while he stood in front of her. They three of them remained silent as the horses neighing grew louder and one of the Ghost Riders appeared in the station, the horse moseying closer and closer to the door that they had just come from.

Had they been _that_ close to being gone, forever? If they had stayed one second more, would they have been obliterated like the kid had?

She leaned against Peter's back and gripped the material of his jacket, holding him tight and hiding away from watching. She didn't want to think about it, she didn't want to play the 'what if' game anymore, she just wanted to get out of here and get back to Bruin, with Peter by her side.

She could hear the Ghost Rider drop down from the horse and his footsteps echoed through the station as he moved across the floor, yet she didn't dare to look. This whole place freaked her out, gave her the creeps, and if she could just figure out how to get home, get somewhere that she felt safe, then she'd be golden.

"In case you're keeping count, that's twice I've saved your life today." Peter remarked in a whisper and she let out a whimper. He turned around to face her, forcing her grip away from his jacket, and when his chest was against hers, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.

"I don't like this." Sydney winced but Peter's hands were already moving up and down her back, trying to calm her. He knew that she didn't scare easy but even he would admit that being here, being in the train station, was starting to get to him. He was on edge and he didn't know what he was supposed to do about it.

He just needed to get them all home, but he needed to get them there in one piece.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thank you to the lovely people who reviewed the last chapter._**

 ** _Did you guys enjoy this installment too? Woo, Peter knows about Bruin and Sydney's pack too, thoughts on that?_**


	15. Chapter 15

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 15** **:**

Sitting, they were back to sitting, not that Sydney was complaining, she was getting tired and worn out. Trying to come up with a plan was hard, and it was made harder with each and every encounter with the Ghost Riders that she endured.

They freaked her out, they scared her, and rattled her to the core, but she wasn't going to go down without a fight, if it came to that. She would give everything she had in order to survive and get back to her little girl, but she prayed that they'd figure out a way out of here before that had to happen.

Peter was holding her hand, running his finger back and forth across her thumb, and she was relaxed against the back of the wooden bench, Stiles not far from either one of them. He was on the floor though, his knees up in the air and his back against the wall. He looked completely defeated, and Sydney couldn't blame him. How long had he been here before she had shown up, how many hours had he spent trying to figure out what the hell was going on without any luck?

This place plain old sucked and she wanted to get out, if only she knew how.

"Did you see a bathroom here anywhere?" She asked in a low tone and Peter narrowed his eyes in on her. She stared back at him, her eyes wide, "what, okay, you can't expect me to sit here for hours and not have to pee."

"She brings up a decent point." Stiles muttered and Sydney's lips curled upwards into a smile. "Unfortunately I have yet to see anything that even slightly resembles a bathroom here."

"Well shit." Sydney huffed and leaned against Peter even more. She let out an audible sigh and stared across at Stiles, the two of them looking at each other but when the sound of horses neighing sounded out once more, Sydney stiffened next to the man beside her.

Stiles leapt to his feet, as did Peter, and Sydney followed their lead, catching Stiles out of the corner of her eye as he jumped over a row of benches and landed on his feet. Peter hopped up onto the back of a bench and hauled her over, catching her against his chest as he landed on the ground and dropped down, pressing his back against the very end of an aisle of benches, hiding from the Ghost Riders.

Why were they hiding anyways? Why weren't they fighting? Sydney figured the two guys had a decent reason, but surely they'd want to at least try? Right?

But trying things here could mean certain death, just like the kid that dissolved once he had tried to go through the rift.

"We can take them." Sydney hissed, ready for a fight, but Peter held her tight against his chest, refusing to give her any freedom to move. She scoffed at him but he shook his head at her.

"We have no idea how many of them there are." Peter replied, his voice calm despite his slightly panicked exterior. She relaxed into his hold and curled up against his chest, leaning against it with her ear and tuning into his heart.

Gunshots sounded out around them and people screaming flooded her ears but she maintained her focus on Peter's heartbeat, something that she hadn't heard in quiet some time, and tried to remain somewhat calm.

Whatever was going on around her, it would all be okay, if they could just stay out of the sights of the Ghost Riders and figure out a way to get out of here once they were gone, they'd be just fine, they had to be just fine.

Dying wasn't something Sydney was going to do without giving it everything she had. She wasn't going to let Bruin live a life without her, she wasn't going to let her pack just forget about her while she rotted in some god awful train station, no, she wasn't going to die here.

"This place is _really_ starting to fill up." Peter remarked quietly. Sydney slid her hand up his chest and pressed it against the side of his neck, feeling his racing pulse against her palm.

Sydney could hear female voices, frantic female voices, which was the only reason that she dared to lean back from Peter and peer out at the room. She spotted two girls hugging, holding onto each other tight, and then she spotted a freaked out little girl laying on the ground at the feet of one of the hosres belonging to the Ghost Riders.

She looked vaguely familiar but where had…where had Sydney seen her before and why did she look like someone she knew. Her eyes never left the little girl's form as she stumbled to her feet, a green puff of smoke erupting from her hands as she let out a cry of fear.

Oh my god! No, no it couldn't be, it couldn't be her, no-

"Sam!" Sydney yelled and made a move to get to her feet.

Peter's arm encircled her waist though and held her against him. She flopped down against his body and reached out for the little girl, calling out to her. Stiles smacked Sydney on the shoulder and she swore he hissed at her to shut up, but the little girl was worth trying to save, she was Sam, she was part of Satomi's pack and she could maybe be valuable to them.

"Sam! Over here!" Sydney screamed at the blonde and finally, _finally_ , caught her attention.

Little Sam broke out into a run and Sydney kicked at Peter, trying to get him to let go of her and when he eventually released his hold on her, she lunged outward, grabbing Sam's arm and hauling her forward. The girl collided with Sydney's chest but any pain that she would suffer would pale in comparison to what the Ghost Riders were capable of.

Sydney's arms wrapped tightly around Sam and she held her tight, relaxing against Peter's side as she let out a breath of relief. She had gotten to Sam before anything had happened, she had pulled the little girl out of harm's way and she silently vowed that she was going to get _her_ out of here too.

"Sam?" Peter growled, looking at Sydney with a concerned expression. "You thought risking your life for some little girl you don't even know-"

"Hush." Sydney cut him off, glaring at him, even going as far as to bring out her alpha eyes for a split second, reminding him that she was in charge of herself. Sam was small, defenseless and innocent, it was the least Sydney could do.

"Wait a second," Stiles spoke up but kept his voice soft and low. "That girl, the one in the lacrosse get up…hugging that other girl…I know that girl. Her name is Gwen, she plays lacrosse."

"Hence the helmet." Sydney remarked with a roll of her eyes, her focus still on holding Sam tight and keeping her safe.

The Ghost Riders were taking children too, good god, what were they doing, what was their plan and was anyone safe?

A few more shots were let off and the Ghost Riders galloped up and down the room, Sydney remaining silent and running her hand up and down Sam's back, trying to soothe her, calm her enough that she would stop trembling like she had been since she had taken a hold of her.

"How long has this been going on?" Stiles pressed, leaning closer to Peter.

Peter was peering over the edge of the bench, his eyes scanning the boards for any sort of hint as to what the hell was happening. The Ghost Riders were still moving around, screams from the others were still very loudly echoing off the stone walls and Sydney let out a sigh, hoping that it would all be over soon.

It was too loud for her liking and the pure chaos had her completely on edge. She liked it better when it was quiet and she could sit in peace and talk to Peter. At least then they had a better chance of coming up with an escape plan, but not if this was going to keep up.

Peter twisted his body and leaned against the bench, facing Sydney for a split second before looking directly at Stiles.

"This isn't a train station, this is a way station. It's not going to stop." Peter stated. He immediately turned back to the walls and Sydney watched him carefully, wondering what he was thinking. She could see the gears turning in his head, something didn't feel right.

"Peter?" She murmured and managed to gently elbow him in the ribs. "Peter?"

"What is it? What are those places? Bannack? Canaan?" Stiles piped up. "I know you know something."

"We got to get out of here. Nobody is safe." Peter shot back but his eyes never left the board on the wall.

"Yeah, in here?" Stiles pointed out.

"Peter?" Sydney whined and Sam leaned back, looking directly into her eyes.

"No, in Beacon Hills. Your friends, your family, everybody you've ever known. They're going to be taken." Peter spoke, his voice anything but calm.

He stood up, rising to his full height before crouching back down enough so that the Ghost Riders wouldn't be drawn to him. He blended in with his surroundings and Sydney made a move to follow him, getting to her feet and settling Sam down on her hip. She rushed after him but paused, looking back at Stiles.

"Where are you going?" Stiles whisper hissed to them but Sydney didn't know how to answer. Peter didn't even bother turning to answer them, instead, he continued moving, Sydney waving a hand at Stiles to follow him.

She was reminded of the time when they had encountered the berserkers at the school, yes, Peter had been freaked out by them enough to run away and Peter Hale wasn't one to shy away from danger. Yet here he was, getting as far away from the Ghost Riders as he possibly could, and fast.

She carried Sam carefully, running after him and moving through the darkened tunnel faster than ever. When she erupted on the other side, she set Sam down for a split second on the gravel to readjust her shirt and jacket, then she scooped the little girl back up, making her comfortable against her side. Sam's arms wrapped around her neck and she held on tight as Sydney closed in on Peter, Stiles running past her to fall in step next to the older man.

"Are we getting out of here?" Sam whined and Sydney pressed her lips together, not entirely sure how to answer her question.

"Yes." Peter said firmly.

"What did you see up there? The towns, what did it mean?" Stiles demanded to know.

"How are we getting out of here?" Sam cried out and Peter stopped walking just long enough to steal a glance at the little blonde girl in Sydney's arms.

"We're not going through the rift, are we?" Sydney asked, her voice laced with concern. It wasn't like the last person that had tried this particular escape hadn't ended up in a pile of dust.

"I just told you. They're never going to stop." Peter echoed his words from before.

"Okay, so what's the plan then?" Stiles pressed.

"How are we leaving?" Sam whimpered and Sydney leaned forward, gently cradling her head as she jogged for a few more steps to close in on Peter, who hadn't even slowed down his pace.

"I'm going through the portal." Peter stated, as if it was the most obvious answer.

"What?" Sydney barked. "No!"

"Wait, wait, wait, no one gets through the portal, you said that yourself." Stiles threw out, fueling Sydney's anxiousness. What the hell was Peter thinking, what was going through his head?

He had said _he_ was going through the portal, but they had promised no matter what, they were going to be doing it together, so what did that mean for her, what was Peter's plan for _her_?

"No human can, but I'm better than human, remember? I'll heal." Peter shot back. Stiles came to a stop and Sydney froze next to him, her eyes on the back of the man that she loved. Was he expecting her to follow him, was he expecting her to stay here and watch over Stiles and Sam?

"Peter," She called out to him and he froze too, stopping dead in his tracks, "there has to be another way."

"Nope." Peter shook his head.

"Peter you can't seriously be considering this." Sydney pleaded, readjusting her hold on Sam.

"Petey." Sam let out a whine and Stiles took a step forward, daring to get closer to Peter.

"You can't do this, you can't go through with this." Stiles' voice was bordering on begging and Sydney bowed her head, appreciating the fact that even if he didn't get along with Peter, he was still concerned about him.

"Stiles," Peter countered calmly and slowly turned to face them all, "let's not have a moment."

"Peter!" Sydney cried out for him. "You can't…you can't do this."

"I can, I _will_."

"Then we're going with you." Sydney shot back. "You're not going without me, and I'm not going without Sam."

"Then get ready to jump." Peter instructed.

Sydney nodded her head in understanding and turned towards the platform. She wasn't going to waste any time, not if she had to worry about Sam. Sydney set the little girl on the edge of the platform and quickly hopped up onto it, but before she lifted Sam back up, she peeled off her leather jacket and offered it to her.

If they were going through the rift, if they were going to face any sort of danger or harm, Sydney was going to protect the girl with not only her leather jacket but with her body. She wasn't going to let what happened to the kid happen to Sam, and she prayed that the girl's werewolf abilities were well enough developed that she too would heal from whatever might happen to them.

"Zip it up." Sydney said softly and crouched down as Sam stood up in front of her. "Tuck your hands in the sleeves, I'll put the collar up."

Sydney grabbed the sides of the collar of her jacket and flipped them up, shielding the girls neck before Sam did the zipper up, pulling it up to her chest. Sydney grabbed the pull and did it up the rest of the way, making sure the leather collar stayed surrounding her skin, then she grabbed Sam under her arms and lifted her up off the ground, hugging her against her chest and tucking her head under her chin.

"Come on." Sydney murmured and looked out at Peter and Stiles, who were still face to face on the tracks.

"If you survive, you have to find my friends for me, okay?" Stiles pointed out and Sydney gave him a nod of her head, but he wasn't looking at her, not yet anyways. "You have to tell them about me because they're not going to remember me, so you have to tell them that I'm here."

"Yes!" Sydney yelled at them, catching both of their attention. "Come on!"

" _When_ I survive, I'm going to get as far away from Beacon Hills, with my _family,_ as I possibly can." Peter shot back, not even bothering to see how Sydney reacted to his words. She rolled her eyes at him, but wondered if his statement held any merit. Would getting out of Beacon Hills be their best bet? Would it be the only way to keep Bruin safe, or more importantly, alive? "And if I happen along one of your below average friends _and_ it doesn't inconvenience me, I _might_ mention your name."

"Yeah, what about Malia?" Stiles retorted. "Or Bruin?"

"Bruin." Peter repeated her name and Sydney tensed, hoping that they'd all make it through the portal alive.

Wounds would heal but there was no way any werewolf was coming back from turning to dust, not even the most powerful werewolf there was.

"I know you're doing this for them." Stiles carried on. "You're risking being incinerated for them, and I'm okay with that."

"Incinerated?" Sydney mumbled the word to herself. Was that what Stiles was calling it? She definitely would've gone with something most sinister, something more like dissolved or obliterated. Incinerated was still a decent descriptive word and plus, it's not like there was a lot of time to argue. The Ghost Riders were getting louder, clearer, and she knew they were going to be heading this way any second.

Sam clutched Sydney tighter, her little hands balling into fists in Sydney's t-shirt, but she was unafraid. They had to do this, this was for Bruin, this was the only way to get back to her and keep her safe. There wasn't any more time to search for another way, it was now or never, and Sydney wouldn't deny that she was getting more and more excited to lay her eyes on her darling little girl.

A horse whinnied from behind them and Sydney turned her attention to the tunnel, praying that her leather jacket was enough to keep Sam protected. She didn't care what happened to her, so long as she came out the other side breathing, she just needed to make sure that Sam would survive the trip.

Her pack would look after her, she had enough betas that they could take her pain for a long time, but Sam…no Sam was hers to look after, and Sydney wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

"Come on!" Sydney yelled and took a step closer to the edge of the platform, shimmying her body down further so that she was hiding behind a pillar, taking in deep breaths in an attempt to steady her breathing.

"Stiles," Peter started and stopped, listening as the horses continued to neigh and whinny, "stall them."

"W-what? How?" Stiles' voice was loud and firm.

"Use your head."

Wait, wasn't Stiles…wasn't he coming with them? No, no she wasn't about to leave him here, she wasn't going to leave Stiles behind.

If it hadn't been for Stiles- oh god, no. She didn't want to leave him but who else was going to stall, who else was going to bide them enough time to get on the horses without giving up their advantage?

"Hurry up!" Sydney screamed and ran her hand over the back of Sam's head, making sure her grip on the little girl was tight. "Sam, hang on, okay, whatever you do, don't let go of me."

"Okay." Sam let out a whimper and Sydney watched as Peter took off in a run towards the edge of the platform.

He closed in on Sydney and set his arm across her lower back, but Sydney was watching Stiles, impressed by how easily he overturned the bench lining the tracks. It fell to the gravel below with a loud crash and Peter leaned against Sydney's back, slipping his arm around her waist, resting his hand on the front of her hip.

"No matter what Sam, do _not_ let go." Sydney echoed her words from seconds ago and she turned to face Peter, his face mere inches from hers. "I love you."

"I know." He replied quickly and pressed his lips to hers for a quick second before turning his attention to the approaching horses.

Sydney sucked in a breath and held it, but Peter bent down, nabbing something off the ground and holding it in his hand. She gave him a questioning look but all he could do was show her, Stiles' keys held firmly in his grasp. He gripped Sydney tighter and when the Ghost Riders erupted from the tunnel, he too held his breath.

They were coming fast, barely even faltering at the bench that Stiles had thrown in their way, but it was enough. Peter got them all lined up behind the pillar and when the horses starting coming into their sight, Peter quickly spun Sydney around, sandwiching Sam between their bodies. He wrapped both of his arms tight around her and held her even tighter than before, his breathing heavy, nearly panting from the adrenaline.

She was ready, she was ready to jump, she was ready for whatever was going to happen. If they turned to dust, at least they had tried and died together. She had found Peter, she had managed to locate him after all this time without him, and even though she was still infuriatingly mad at him for choosing power over her, she wasn't going to let him get away again.

This was their shot to get to Bruin, this was Stiles' only chance at getting out of there too. They needed to make it through the rift, they needed to get out the other side alive, and once that happened, Sydney would do everything in her power to get to his friends and let them know that he was alive.

The first rider that they could see stopped just long enough for his horse to go up on its back legs, but when it's hooves came down, it broke out into a fierce gallop. Peter gave her arm a nudge and she sucked in a breath, filling her lungs and holding it. She pressed her face against his chest and put every ounce of trust that she had into him.

Peter threw their bodies off the edge of the platform and when Sydney felt her butt connect with something firm and muscly, she figured that they must've made it. She didn't dare pull away from Peter though, not as he hugged her tight against him, squishing Sam between their chests.

Sydney didn't care though, as long as Sam was okay in the end, and they made it through without dying…

She felt a searing, burning on the backs of her arms and figured this was the worst of it. Her flesh sizzled and bubbled under the heat and she let out a cry of pain, but at least she wasn't turning to dust, not yet anyways.

She continued to hold her breath, feeling the rest of her exposed skin burn and crack from the immense heat and she wondered for a split second how Peter was faring. Sam seemed to be nearly unscathed, but she was almost completely shielded by their bodies, as well as Sydney's jacket, which was a last line of defense against the searing pain that was currently eating away at her bare skin.

The back of her neck felt like it was on fire but Peter's arms moved up her back, his forearm coming across her neck and holding her head against his chest, his chin pressed firmly against the top of her head.

She could feel his heart hammering against his ribs and she could smell burning flesh, but she wasn't sure if it was coming from him or her.

When the Ghost Rider managed to kick them off the back of his horse, Sydney let out a cry of pain and felt the sweet relief of the cool night air against her back. She was still in immense pain, but did this mean that they had made it through the rift, had they come out the other side alive?

Her body went flying and her back collided with the hard ground beneath her, a sharp stick embedding itself in Sydney's side, but not too deeply. God, fuck, it hurt, everything hurt, her entire body, where her skin had been exposed to the power of the rift, felt like it was cooking her from the outside in.

She reluctantly peeled herself away from Sam and rolled sideways, the little girl moving quickly to stay right by Sydney's side, but as she looked around, she took note that Peter was nowhere to be seen.

"God damn." Sydney groaned and fought to get herself into a sitting position. "Sam, are you…are you okay?"

Sam crawled closer to her and shifted onto her knees, staring Sydney in the face. She threw her arms out and wiggled them, forcing the sleeves of the leather jacket back even the slightest little bit. Sam's hand gently wrapped around Sydney's burnt wrist and Sydney watched in awe as the little girl managed to draw out the tiniest bit of her pain.

Sydney let the little girl do it for a few more seconds before carefully freeing herself from her grip. Sydney ran her fingers over Sam's face, searching for any obvious injuries, then she worked her way down the rest of her body.

"Are you good?" Sydney asked again and Sam nodded her head.

"My leg hurts a little bit though."

Sydney peered down at her legs and took note that her right pant leg, near her calf, had been burned slightly and she had a blister forming on her skin the size of a golf ball. Okay, okay that was good, Sam was relatively okay, they had made it out of the train station and they were still breathing.

That had to count as a win for the good guys, didn't it?

"Let's get you back to my home okay, I'll have my pack look you over, make sure there's nothing more to your injuries." Sydney offered and Sam nodded her head one more time.

"Thank you, for saving me." Sam said softly and Sydney struggled to get to her feet. When Sam went to unzip the jacket, Sydney waved her off and instead offered Sam her hand. The blonde grabbed hold of it and together, Sydney limping slightly from her own wounds, the two of them headed for the direction of home.

If she could just get Sam to safety, then she could head out with part of her pack to locate Peter.

After everything they had been through in the train station, he was nowhere to be seen.


	16. Chapter 16

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 16** **:**

She could hear Bruin's wails well before she had reached her house but she could only move so fast. Her arms were still hurting like nothing she had ever felt before and on top of that, she had to make sure that Sam was still doing okay. She heard Peter's howls from somewhere out in the preserve but she knew that she was of no help to him with a young child, nor would she be much help all on her own with injuries like the ones she had sustained.

If she could just make it back to her house and get the twins to help her, then she could start checking things off her list, things like getting Sam looked over, getting her burns tended to and bandaged, and as soon as she had heard her baby girl crying, she had put Bruin at the top of the list.

Why was her poor baby making noises like that? What was going on in the house?

"Oh no." Sydney murmured as they finally approached her house from the back. Sam hesitated but maintained a firm grip on Sydney's hand. It wasn't hard to tell that the little blonde girl was frightened, and if Sydney was honest, she was too.

She didn't know what she'd find behind the walls of her house, she didn't know what was happening to Bruin, hell, it was possible that the twins had turned on her, a poor, defenseless baby.

"Is this your house?" Sam questioned and Sydney continued to walk towards the back gate. When she reached it, she leaned against it and sucked in a deep breath, trying to fight off more of the searing pain of her arms. "It's so big."

"It _is_ my house." Sydney answered and clung to the top rail of the fence. Sam made an attempt to hop up over the rail fence but as soon as she tried to get over it, she was flung backwards, luckily for her, Sydney was right there to catch her and keep her from falling to the ground. "Mountain Ash."

"Smart." Sam gave Sydney a small nod and slipped her hand into hers, clinging to the female alpha like her life depended on it. Bruin was still screaming and wailing from inside, but Sydney's pace was still rather slow.

Her entire body hurt, her arms were burning and she knew her skin was blistered and burnt; her legs were tired and sore from the landing, and the rest of her ached like it had never ached before. Being taken by the Ghost Riders had been a lot more painful than she had been anticipating, but alas, she was almost home, she just had to make it around to the front door.

"Ethan!" Sydney yelled out as she reached the side of the house, her body slumping against the siding. "Aidan! Help!"

Sam stepped away from Sydney but she didn't get far enough for them to not hold hands. Listening carefully, she waited for some sort of noise to be heard from inside the house and within seconds, she heard footsteps heading right for the front. With as much strength as she could muster, Sydney carried on along the side of the house and rounded the corner, leading Sam along as she moved. They crossed the front yard and paused at the base of the porch stairs, watching as the front door was pulled open, Aidan standing inside the doorway.

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion but after a few seconds of silence, and him studying the two of them, he rushed forward and slipped his arm around Sydney's waist, supporting her with ease.

"Aidan…" Sydney started but let her voice fade away as Ethan appeared in the doorway too, Bruin grasped firmly in his hold, her body cradled against his chest as he rocked her back and forth in an attempt to get her to stop wailing. "Oh god Aidan, everything hurts."

"Syd?" He said her name like he wasn't sure that was it, but once she turned to look him in the eye, she knew that things had gotten bad while she had been away. Had he even remembered who she was? "Where did you…what happened to you?"

"Ghost Riders." Sydney answered with a tiny shrug. "What happened here?"

"Bruin won't stop crying, she's been going for hours." Ethan piped up and stood at the top of the steps, waiting patiently as Aidan helped Sydney mount them. Sam hugging Sydney's leg and burying her face in her thigh, apparently a little put off by the twins' presence. "I can't get her to stop, I've tried feeding her, changing her, rocking her, she just…I don't know what she wants."

"Huh, okay." Sydney bowed her head and stabilized herself on the porch. Without another second of hesitation, Ethan handed Bruin over and Sydney gently took hold of her, pressing a sweet little kiss against the top of her baby's head. It was almost instant, Bruin had ceased crying and settled into her mother's hold, letting out a soft coo as she did so. "Good lord."

"She missed her mom." Aidan remarked with a shrug. "How long have you been gone? Wait, where exactly _were_ you?"

"We were in a train station." Sam murmured from her position by Sydney's side. "Petey saved us."

"Petey?" Aidan cocked his head sideways and motioned for them to all keep going.

He led the way into the house, Sydney heading right for the living room couch and dropping down on the cushions. Sam clambered up onto the cushions next to her and peeled off the leather jacket, tossing it to the floor before curling up against Sydney's side. Aidan lowered himself down on her other side while Ethan dropped to a crouch in front of her and set his palms on her knees.

"I found Peter." Sydney confessed. "He's…he's here somewhere. We managed to get out of the train station but I lost him when we crossed back over to Beacon Hills."

"Oh." Ethan whispered and gave her knees a gentle squeeze, working away quickly at drawing out her pain, as much as he could take. He shot a look in Aidan's direction and his brother reached across Sydney and latched his hand onto Sam's arm, which was wrapped around Sydney's middle. He began to draw out the little girl's pain, watching as the look on her face seemed to relax. "So uh, what's the plan then?"

"The plan," Sydney hesitated and sucked in a breath, "I was going to go and look for him."

"I can go too." Sam announced, and Sydney figured that the little girl didn't want to be left alone with the twins. She couldn't exactly blame her, they were strangers to Sam and they could be rather intimidating. "I can help look."

"Maybe…" Sydney trailed off and peered down at Bruin, who was staring back at her, the familiar red flicker swirling through her eyes. "I should call Derek, maybe he can help look for Peter too."

She wasn't going to blatantly tell Sam no, but she didn't really want the little girl out there with them. She wanted Sam to remain in the house where she'd be safe, looked after, and taken care of. She wasn't going to leave Sam alone with the twins though, not if she didn't want to be left with them, but that didn't mean Sam wouldn't want to stay in the house with someone else from her pack.

Derek was a prime choice, but so was Charlie. Charlie and Sam could hang out, right? They'd be okay. At least that way Sam would have another girl to go to. She just needed to get her pack back together, she needed to get a hold of Derek and request for him to come over.

As soon as she could get things sorted at the house, then she could head out in search of Peter.

"Phone?" Sydney quipped, looking into Ethan's eyes.

"Yeah, right, sure." Ethan hesitated in drawing out his alpha's pain and fished his phone out from his back pocket. He handed it over without a word and Sydney quickly punched out a text to Derek, requesting that he come over. Once the text was sent, she handed the phone back to Ethan, but the beta merely set it down on the edge of the coffee table. "I can head out and look for Peter, if you want to stay here and get cleaned up."

"That sounds okay." Sydney nodded her head and made her way to her feet. She held Bruin in her arms and peered down at the peaceful look on her daughter's face. All she wanted was for Peter to see her, to get to know her and hold her and love her, but now she had lost him again. She knew he was out there somewhere, she had heard his howls as she had made her way home, but she couldn't just walk out the door, not when her arms were hurting as much as they were and not if Sam wasn't comfortable waiting in the house without her.

"My leg still hurts." Sam threw out and lifted the leg of her jeans upwards, revealing the wound in much more detail. Sydney winced at the sight and silently praised the girl for not having complained sooner. It looked painful and Sam was just a kid, surely it must have really been hurting her, yet she had barely said a word about it on their journey home.

"Okay, okay Ethan, can you head out to look for Peter then? I'll stay here with Sam and me and Aidan will get her cleaned up. You call me if you see anything, got it?" Sydney instructed and Ethan hopped up to his feet, offering Sydney his hand. Aidan produced his phone from his pocket and offered it to Sydney, leaving her unable to grab Ethan's hand, but it didn't matter.

Without waiting anymore, Ethan grabbed his phone off the coffee table and broke out into a jog towards the front door, leaving the rest of them in the living room. Aidan held his hand out for Sam but she merely stared up at him, her eyes wide and full of fear. He was a stranger, and she didn't like strangers.

"It's okay." Aidan said softly.

"He won't hurt you." Sydney added, and reluctantly Sam reached her hand out and grabbed Aidan's, letting him help her off the couch. Sydney moved towards the stairs and mounted them, glancing back every so often to make sure Sam was okay with Aidan.

When they reached the top, Sydney made a break for her room and headed over to Bruin's crib, gently setting the baby down on the mattress. Sucking in a breath, she waved Sam in and Aidan released her hand, letting her run for the bed, where she jumped up onto the edge and sat down. Sydney dropped down onto the bed next to Sam and sucked in a breath. The room didn't feel quite right, it wasn't exactly like she had remembered. But now certainly wasn't the time to fret about her room though, not when she was in this much pain.

"I'll go grab the stuff." Aidan announced and turned his back to them, walking away and leaving the two females sitting on the bed.

Sydney slipped her arm around Sam's shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze, trying to let her know without saying anything that things would be okay, they had to be okay. Anything was better than being stuck in the train station, waiting to die. Sam was safe now and there wasn't anything that was going to get in Sydney's way of making sure Sam was looked after.

"Is Petey okay?" Sam questioned in a murmur, Sydney sucking in a breath as she contemplated the girl's question.

"I'm sure he's just fine."

She hoped that Sam believed her, because she wasn't even sure she believed herself.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

The words 'next of kin' resounded in Derek's head as he stared at the screen of his phone. What the hell was the hospital doing calling him about Peter for? Was there not someone else who could handle his uncle? Someone more like Sydney?

Derek's eyebrows knitted together in confusion and he peered across the loft at Charlie and Isaac, who were sitting on the couch working away at homework. He knew they had heard the entire conversation and were just pretending they were busy, but he didn't know how much they knew about what was going on.

He had gotten a text message from Ethan requesting that he meet him at the house, but did that mean he was supposed to bring Charlie and Isaac? What the hell, it wasn't like he was going to leave the two of them alone together in his loft, _unsupervised_. He trusted them, sure, but he wasn't an idiot. Giving them freedom of his loft was asking for trouble and even the most well behaved teenager was bound to take advantage.

"Let's go." Derek commanded and immediately Charlie was on her feet.

"Who was on the phone?" She asked innocently, but he was already aware that she knew who he had been talking too. She was probably just trying to be nice about it without blatantly asking what the hell the hospital wanted with him.

"Hospital, apparently I have family there." Derek answered, a growl lingering in his tone. "Let's go."

"Who?" Isaac stood up off the couch and peered down at Charlie, watching her as she packed up her stuff, leaving her notebook stuffed inside her textbook so that she knew exactly where she was the next time she got around to doing her homework. "Isn't Cora in South America?"

"What?" Derek shot back at him and threw his one hand up into the air. "One; how do you know that, and two; what does it matter? We're going over to meet up with the twins, so get your butts in gear."

"They said Peter." Charlie threw out and stood up, stacking her books into a neat little pile. "Your uncle, right?"

"Get in the car." Derek growled at them both and Isaac seemed to follow his directions with no problem. Charlie however was a different story, she nabbed her sweater off the back of the couch and marched over towards Derek, standing directly in front of him and looking up, meeting his eyes.

"Are you dropping us off with Ethan and then going to the hospital?" She pressed and slipped her sweater on, planting her hands on her hips once it was covering her top half. "Is that your plan?"

"No." Derek shook his head and tried not to get too much angrier with her than he already was. Something was off, something didn't feel right, and he was already on edge, why did this little beta have to push his buttons, why did Syd…Syd, wait, what _did_ happen to her?

Derek shook his head and tried to clear his mind. Sydney, yes, Sydney, this beta belonged to Sydney, so why was she standing in front of him, why was she in his loft when she had a perfectly good home of her own that she could've been in?

Was it because of Isaac? Maybe, but Derek could've told Isaac no and he would've listened, no questions asked. Isaac wasn't the type of person who broke Derek's rules, so there had to be another explanation as to why Charlie was standing in front of him, glaring at him, waiting for him to speak.

"What's going on?" Isaac piped up and wandered across the room, coming up behind Charlie to look at Derek too. Derek lifted a hand up and ran it through his hair, trying to get his mind to stop feeling so murky.

Everything was just mass confusion when it came to Sydney and the reason _why_ Charlie was here. Had something happened to Sydney? Had something…had something bad happened to the rest of the pack? If that was the case, why couldn't he remember what it was, why couldn't he remember much about how Charlie ended up in his loft to start with?

"We're going over to meet up with Ethan." Derek answered as bluntly as he could. Who was to say that the text was really from Ethan though, just because it had come from his phone didn't mean that he had sent it.

"Isaac and I can just stay here-"

"Yeah I don't think so." Derek cut her off, raising a hand up and planting it on his hip, matching her stance with his own. Charlie let out a huff and rolled her eyes at him, wondering what was wrong with Derek all of a sudden. Her and Isaac had been minding their own business on the couch and then out of nowhere Derek was talking to the hospital, who claimed they had someone by the name of Peter Hale there and that Derek was the next of kin on record.

Then he had demanded they get ready so they could go meet Ethan.

What was going through Derek's head?

"Can I drive at least?" Charlie piped up but Derek's response, which came in the form of an intimidating growl, was answer enough for her. No, she was definitely _not_ driving the Camaro.

Derek pointed to the oversized loft door and as soon as the two younger betas were marching, he fell in stride next to them, pulling out his keys from his jean pocket and remaining just behind them as they heaved the door open. When the three of them were out in the hall, Derek hauled the door shut and led the way, moving quickly down the flights of stairs.

He vaguely heard Charlie mutter something about 'this place not having an elevator' but he ignored it, instead he chose to focus on trying to figure out what Peter was doing in the hospital and where he had been prior to ending up there?

Stepping out into the parking lot, Derek unlocked the car and motioned for the two of them to get in, Charlie climbing into the back behind the passenger seat before pulling Isaac back there with her. Okay, fine, whatever, Derek didn't care, so long as they were both in the car then it didn't matter where they sat.

"If I get in trouble for not having my homework done, I'm giving my teacher your number." Charlie remarked and settled into her seat. Derek fought off the urge to growl and turned the car on instead.

He backed out of the spot and peeled out onto the road, driving faster than he probably should have. Oh well, if the sheriff pulled him over, he'd claim there was a supernatural emergency, surely that would get him off, right? Plus it wasn't like there were a lot of cars on the road right now in general.

He drove in silence to the house and when he pulled into the driveway, he focused his ears in and listened. He could hear a few people inside but there were way more than he was expecting. Slowly he got out of the car but didn't get a chance to instruct the youngsters to 'wait here', no, Charlie was already out on the pavement before he could even open his mouth.

"You okay Derek?" She asked softly and reached a hand out, running it down his back. Derek jerked at her touch and walked forward, slamming his door shut behind him. He jogged up the front steps and opened the front door, remaining in the lead. Charlie and Isaac were right behind him and as soon as he stepped into the house, his nose flooded with the familiar scent of Sydney.

Letting out a soft sigh of relief, Derek surged forward and pinpointed her location using his senses- she was upstairs, and she wasn't alone, but none of the other scents smelled threatening.

"Syd?" Charlie whimpered and Derek felt her shove him out of the way. She took off running and disappeared into Sydney's room, Derek rolling his eyes as he heard the sound of his childhood best friend being tackled, hopefully onto the bed.

He picked up his own pace and when he turned into the bedroom, he took in the sight of Aidan, Sydney, Charlie and a little blonde girl who looked no older than eight or nine. Sydney smiled at him and readjusted her hold on Charlie, hugging her beta tight while the blonde curled up against her other side. Aidan was kneeling on the bed behind her and Derek took note that he was working away at Sydney with some sort of cloth.

"I need a favour." Sydney said with a smile and Derek nodded his understanding, not even bothering to waste time with pleasantries. Whatever Sydney needed, he was there for her. "I need you to help me look for Peter."

"Peter?" Derek scoffed and shook his head. "He's at the hospital."

"What?" Sydney's eyes widened slightly. "How do you know?"

"They called me before I came here." Derek answered, as if it was the most obvious thing ever. "I'm listed as his 'next of kin', but I have no idea why he's-"

"He's probably burnt." Sydney cut in and twisted her upper body slightly, giving Derek a better look at what Aidan was doing.

He was cleaning her back, he was tending to the wounds on the backs of her arms, he was gently pressing a damp piece of gauze against the charred and marred skin- what the hell had happened to Sydney? What happened to her and why didn't he know already?

Why wasn't he with her when it happened?

"We came from the train station." The blonde spoke up and Derek peered at her, looking her up and down. She had her one pant leg rolled up and her leg was wrapped with gauze, which was secured there with medical tape.

The train station? What did she mean by that? Beacon Hills didn't have a train station, not that he knew of, but maybe this little girl was confused. There was a subway station, Derek knew about it all too well considering he had lived in it for a period of time, but there was no train station that he could come up with.

"Stiles," Sydney started to speak but Aidan pressed against a particularly tender part of her back and she paused to let out a hiss of pain, "Stiles is still there, we have to- I have to get to Peter."

"Slow down Syd, like I said, he's at the hospital." Derek countered.

"That's good, but I still have to get to him."

"Not until I'm done." Aidan grumbled from behind her. "Charlie, can you work away at taking some of her pain?"

Charlie gave him a nod and waved Isaac forward, scooting over to give him some room on the edge of the bed to sit down. Isaac set his hand on Sydney's knee while Charlie rested her palm against her side, the two of them focusing their energy on drawing out the alpha's pain. Derek merely stood back and watched, his eyes running over Sydney, then looking at the little girl sitting beside his friend.

"This is Sam." Sydney announced, sensing Derek's confusion. "She was taken by the Ghost Riders."

The Ghost Riders? Right, yes, good god how could he have forgotten? Sydney had been stolen right out from under his nose, she had been the bait and they had fallen right for it, capturing her that night in the woods that they had been with Argent.

Why had he forgotten that? Why hadn't he remembered- wait, Ghost Riders, yes, it was because of the Ghost Riders. They didn't just take people, they erased them, so how was it possible that Sydney was currently sitting in her room when she had been ripped out of his life not all that long ago?

"Petey saved us." Sam supplied but Derek found himself more confused than ever.

What had happened to them, why were they so hurt and why was Peter in the hospital? Was it all connected, did Sydney's injuries have anything to do with Peter being in the hospital? Did they get hurt together, and by the same thing?

"I have to get to Peter." Sydney stated. "I have to figure this out, I need to get Stiles back before we all end up where he is."

"I'll go with you." Derek offered up quickly.

"Okay." Sydney nodded her head and peered down at Sam. "Are you okay to stay here, with Charlie?"

Sam looked past Sydney and seemed to study Charlie's form for a few seconds before hesitantly nodding her head yes. Derek tucked his hands into his pockets and remained silent, watching his friend get patched up and hoping that going to visit his uncle in the hospital wouldn't be all that bad.

He knew better though, when it came to Peter Hale, it was rarely anything good.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts?_**


	17. Chapter 17

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 17** **:**

Thank god that Derek had gone with her, she needed his support, she needed someone there to remind her that she had people behind her every step of the way. Derek was her best friend, Peter was his family, and he, of all people, understood how much he truly meant to Sydney, even if he didn't quite understand it. Derek, despite Peter's faults and his terrible ideas of hurting others, was still family and he wasn't going to be happy that the man was in pain.

And boy was he in pain. Sydney could feel it the very second that she stepped into the hospital, and if it wasn't enough for her to feel it, she could certainly smell it.

It smelled like charred flesh, like what had happened to her only a hundred times worse. Her back still throbbed, the flesh raw and burnt beneath the bandages and clothes, but the smell from the hospital was overwhelming. Sydney lifted her hand up to cover her nose as she fought off the pungent smell that flooded into her nostrils, desperate to get a whiff of _anything_ that smelled even remotely less frightening than that of melted skin.

"God, that's…Derek it smells awful." She murmured and felt Derek's palm come to rest gently on the back of her shoulder. He gently nudged her forward and the two of them hesitantly approached the front desk.

"We're talking about Peter, it would take a nuclear meltdown to even come close to killing him." Derek pointed out in a low tone. Sydney took his words to heart and realized that he wasn't entirely wrong.

Peter was hard to get rid of, even when they had believed he had been killed, he had managed to bring himself back from death. Yes, Peter Hale was going to be okay, Sydney had to believe it. He had survived this long, a supernatural rift that barbequed him as he went through wasn't going to be enough to put a stop to him, right?

She peered around the main entrance and shook her head, wondering what they were going to do for him here. Whatever had happened to him had involved the supernatural and unless Melissa McCall was handling his case, then they were in for a long recovery process.

Unfortunately, Melissa McCall was nowhere in sight, but that didn't deter Sydney, she had been in this place enough to feel somewhat comfortable, plus she was with Derek, Derek who had been called because he was apparently Peter's 'next of kin', the hospital would surely let him in, and in turn, they'd let her in too.

Derek stepped away from Sydney, leaving her standing back a few feet from the front desk. She didn't even need to get the directions from the people working there, she could easily follow her nose, track Peter by scent, but that wasn't how things worked in the human world. She was a guest here, she had to follow the rules, and when Derek meandered back over to her, he pointed her down the hall and led the way, not even bothering to say a word.

He continued to lead her down the hall and when they reached the intensive care section of the third floor of the hospital, Derek slowed his pace and looked at the numbers on the outside of the rooms. Sydney reached out and grabbed hold of his hand, clutching it tightly in hers as she tried to keep herself calm. She didn't know what they were going to find but if Peter was in the hospital then it had to be bad; bad enough that he couldn't heal on his own.

As soon as Derek pushed on one of the doors that was part of a set of two, she froze in her tracks and sucked in a breath. Sydney was anxious of what she would find behind the doors, she didn't want Peter to be too far beyond healing, but she knew that the smell alone was a big enough clue to let her know that it was bad, really, _really_ bad.

When she finally gained enough courage to meander into the room, she peered around at the plastic sheeted barrier between her and Peter, and then she blew out her breath and crossed her arms over her chest. Derek seemed to be giving her an encouraging nudge forward and Sydney moved without any resistance on her part. As nervous as she was to set her sights on Peter, she was just glad that she could make out his steadily beating heart over the beeping of the monitors in the room.

She pulled back one of the thick plastic sheets and slipped into the little makeshift room where Peter was being held. He was lying on his back on a hospital bed and there was not an inch of his body that wasn't burned beyond healing capability. She peered at him, looking him over from head downwards but she couldn't get the words out, she didn't know what to say.

This was bad, oh god it was _so_ bad! Even her back wasn't like this, sure it hurt and she knew it would take a long, _long_ time to heal, but that was the issue, she had no doubt that it _would_ heal, but Peter…

"Nuclear." Derek murmured from behind her and she gave him the tiniest of nods to let him know that she heard him.

Right, okay, she could do this, she could face Peter looking like this. He had been burned once before- wait no twice before, seeing as he had been set on fire earlier on in his life, this was just another obstacle that she'd deal with. She let out a nervous sigh and closed the distance between her and the hospital bed he was laying in, soft looking sheets covering him from the chest down, his arms free on either side.

"You look like shit." She remarked and forced out an awkward laugh, trying desperately to remain positive.

"Much more like shit than you." Peter replied, his voice strained and his mouth just barely moving. "Which was the intention."

"To keep me safe?" Sydney quipped and stepped even closer to him, looking down at the side of his bed before gently lowering her butt down. She lifted her hand up and let it hover over his but decided that she could only help him by drawing out his pain. When she put the slightest bit of pressure on his wrist, he let out a hiss of pain, but almost immediately settled back down. "You were trying to keep me safe?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" Peter countered, his head turning to the side just enough so that he was looking right at her. Derek seized his opportunity and slipped into the room with them, moving to stand on Peter's other side. He extended his own hand out and set it on his other wrist, following Sydney's lead and drawing out his uncle's pain.

"Well, I guess it's just a little hard to understand seeing as the last time I saw you before you were committed was the time that you made a deal with Kate in order to become _the_ alpha." Sydney explained and felt his pain settling in all over her body. "You told me I was enough and then continued to go behind my back."

"That was a long time ago." Peter pointed out and made a move to twist his arm slightly, trying to force her hand away from him. Sydney merely gripped his arm tighter though and drew out more and more of his pain. "Things can change."

"Not when it comes to you." Derek interjected with a knowing smile.

"What the hell happened to you anyways?" Sydney piped up, pulling her hand away from his wrist. "Sam and I aren't burnt like you."

Peter opened his mouth to speak but he didn't say anything. Sydney hesitantly twisted her body around and drew up the back of her shirt, facing it towards him and showing him the bandages that covered her badly burnt back and shoulders. It was raw, it hurt like hell, but it was nothing like Peter. The skin wasn't charred and black, it wasn't crusty except in a few places, and it certainly couldn't be as painful as Peter's was.

"And Sam?" Peter pressed, Sydney making quick work of getting her shirt back in to place. "How is she?"

"She's fine, for the most part. She's got a little burn on her leg but that's pretty much it." Sydney answered. "But why did you try and protect me? Why did you try and protect _us_?"

Derek looked between Peter and Sydney and reluctantly moved his hand away from Peter's other arm. He shot his best friend a quick smile and then made a move to step away, to give them privacy that they seemed to need. Sydney raised her other hand into the air and put a stop to his movements, which only caused Derek to cock his head sideways at her in confusion.

"What?" Derek barked.

"Can I have your phone?" She quipped softly. "You have pictures of Bruin on it, right?"

Derek gave her a solemn nod and produced the device from his pocket. She watched him for a few more seconds as he tapped on the screen a few times, probably bringing up the photos that she requested. When he finally handed it over, Sydney peered down at the screen and couldn't help but smile at the sight of Bruin sleeping peacefully in her crib.

Yes, this particular photo had been taken shortly after she had fallen asleep one of the first nights that Derek had stayed in Beacon Hills. The girl was slumbering peacefully but Sydney had remember how hard it had been to get Bruin to calm down enough to let sleep take over.

As he passed her by, Derek gave her shoulder a gentle pat and then he disappeared back out into the hallway, leaving Sydney alone with Peter. She tore her eyes off the phone and lifted it up in front of Peter's face, giving him the very first look of his daughter.

She watched him study it carefully, his eyes even flickering their familiar icy blue before settling to his usual colour. She watched his body stiffen at the sight and she turned the phone to the side before flipping to the next picture in the series. Again Bruin was sleeping, but she was tucked away in Sydney's hold, who was grinning at the sight.

"I didn't think bringing her here right now was the greatest idea." Sydney confessed and stole a look around the room. The sterile atmosphere was proof enough that she had made the right decision and chances were good that the hospital staff would've requested that Bruin remain out of the room. "But I swear, I'll bring her so you can see her the next time."

"She's…" Peter let his sentence trail off and Sydney made quick work of flipping to the next picture on Derek's phone.

This one was of her and Bruin sitting on a blanket in the backyard. Bruin was lying on her back in front of Sydney, who was lying on her side, both of the girls looking at each other and not at whoever was taking the picture. There were shadows in the background and even a set of slender legs that belonged to Charlie, but Peter's eyes were locked on the little girl and the smile on Bruin's face.

"She's perfect." Sydney supplied for him and held this particular photo for him for longer. This was definitely one of the better ones on Derek's phone and even Peter seemed mesmerized by the little girl in the picture, the little girl that belonged to him.

He lifted his fingers up and Sydney leaned in closer to him, setting one hand on his arm and drawing out some of his pain while she held Derek's phone out for him to look at with the other.

"She's beautiful." Peter murmured, Sydney turning her head to steal a look at him. She forced a smile onto her face but quickly looked away from him, flushing slightly under his piercing gaze. "I'm sorry…that I wasn't there."

"It's…it's okay." Sydney replied softly.

"Is it Sydney?" Peter pressed and she offered up a small shrug in response. "I should've listened to you, I should've avoided going to Mexico and trying to kill Scott-"

"Well I won't disagree with you there." She cut him off and carefully lowered her body down so that she was lying next to him. His eyes were still glued to the photo of Bruin and Sydney on the phone and as Sydney relaxed against his side, cautious of his injuries, he let out a soft sigh. "Is that why you tried to protect me?"

"I don't know." Peter replied, Sydney swiping her finger on the screen and bringing up another picture of little tiny Bruin. Sydney was kissing the side of the baby's head and Bruin was sleeping yet again. God, he couldn't stop looking at her, he couldn't stop staring. Bruin was simply amazing and while he knew that Sydney hadn't _wanted_ children when they had first gotten together, motherhood seemed to look good on the woman. "I've had a lot of time to think."

"No kidding." She scoffed and lowered the phone, making a move to tuck it away in her pocket, but Peter's hand wriggled the tiniest little bit against her thigh. He didn't have to ask her, no, she knew what he wanted, and without a word between them, she brought the phone back up, the last picture still on the screen, and let Peter look a little longer at his child.

"I've already missed out-"

"She's not walking or talking yet." Sydney broke in. "So if you're quick at healing, you still have a chance to witness that."

"That's not entirely what I was getting at."

"I guess but it's sort of comforting to me." She said. "I want you to come home with me as soon as possible, I want you to meet her in person, and I want, so desperately, for you to be a part of her life."

"I want that too."

"Good." She put a small smile on her face and let out a soft sigh, settling in against Peter's side, careful not to irritate his wounds too much with her presence. "I really do love you, I will never stop loving you."

"I know." He murmured in response. "I love you too."

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"Not to put a damper on this joyous occasion but I'm not entirely sure who she is." Isaac piped up, waving his hand in Sam's general direction as he stood in the door to Sydney's room. The twins were somewhere down on the main floor but Charlie was sitting in Sydney's pillows with a slumbering Sam curled up against her side, one of the extra blankets thrown over her to keep her warm. "Do you know who she is?"

"What I do know is that she's totally adorable." Charlie countered with a soft smile. "I mean, look at her, she's such a cute kid."

"Oh I'm not disagreeing but I mean, like, do we know who she is, where she even came from?" Isaac pressed. "For all we know, she could be an evil alpha's spawn and now we're all in trouble because we're going to be hunted down and killed until said evil alpha gets their child back."

Charlie scrunched up her nose at Isaac and shook her head. While she wasn't going to dismiss his random theory as total bull, she also figured that if that was the case, Sydney would've at least filled them in on the important stuff. As far as Charlie knew, Sam was just a little lost girl who needed help and Sydney was the exact person who was going to help her.

She didn't fault her alpha for leaving in such a hurry though. It had been months since she had laid her eyes on Peter and Charlie knew that it was hard on Sydney. Not being near the man that she loved had taken a toll on her and for once, Charlie was glad that Sydney had Peter back in her life, even if he was rumoured to be a total whack job.

"If that _was_ the case, chances are good that this evil alpha that you speak of is already in the Ghost Riders possession. We can assume that since Sam has a burn that she came through the rift with Syd and Peter, right?" Charlie posed and Isaac cocked his head sideways, but slowly, hesitantly, nodded a yes. "So even if her parent or _parents_ were evil, it's not like they'd be able to get at us without coming through the rift, the same rift that burned the crap out of Syd as soon as her body touched it."

Isaac scoffed at Charlie's own theory but he threw his hands up into the air in defeat. Okay, maybe she had a point, maybe Sam wasn't really of any threat to them, but it didn't put Isaac any more at ease. His girlfriend was sitting on Sydney's bed with the strange child buried into Charlie's side, what was stopping Sam from turning on them and hurting either of them before they even knew what was happening?

"My parents are gone." Sam's small voice cut into the room and she stretched her tiny little body out, shifting away from Charlie and sitting up straight. She started up at Isaac and when he looked at her lip, he noticed that it was just starting to quiver. "My pack was trying to run away when those scary men came after us."

"The Ghost Riders?" Charlie asked in response. "Were they on horses?"

"Yeah." Sam's eyes lit up and then she cowered back, burying her butt deeper into the pillows. "They had no eyes."

"What?"

"Just black holes where their eyes should've been." Sam tried to explain but Charlie looked to Isaac, who was staring back at her in confusion. This poor, strange girl had been hunted by the Ghost Riders, and up until now, it wasn't like Charlie had any idea what they looked like. Sure she had made assumptions but hearing that they didn't have eyes…well that was a whole other ball game.

"Oh geez." Isaac mumbled and dropped down to sit on the end of the bed near Charlie's feet. "Sam, how do you…how do you know Sydney?"

"She saved me." Sam stated firmly.

"From the Ghost Riders?" Charlie quipped, wanting to get to the bottom of this.

"Well yeah but before too."

"Before? What do you mean?" Isaac questioned and turned his attention towards the little girl.

Sam lifted her arms up and crossed them over her chest, considering how she was going to answer his question. Before she could open her mouth to reply though, footsteps were heard coming up the stairs and when Aidan appeared in Sydney's doorway, he forced a smile in Sam's direction, Ethan right behind him.

"Sydney broke me out of a closet one time." Sam answered, looking around the room and taking in the sight of each and every person, who were all looking right back at her. "I lost my mom, and she helped me find her."

"That's what I was told." Ethan supplied with a reassuring smile. "We came to check on Bruin."

With that, Aidan lifted his hands up in surrender and stepped further into the room, he closed in on Bruin's crib and peered down inside, making sure the little girl was A-Okay. When he was confident that Bruin was just fine, he turned his attention back to Sam and gently leaned against the front of the crib, watching Sam and waiting for her to keep speaking.

It wasn't like they couldn't have heard the baby crying if she decided to but Aidan and Ethan were a little confused as to why Bruin was seemingly fine even if Sydney wasn't there again. She had wailed nonstop before their alpha had shown up, so had Bruin been crying then because she didn't _know_ who her mother was, or was there more to it than that.

Had Bruin remembered Sydney and was just crying out of frustration, or had it been something more than that?

"I stayed with her and Petey before too." Sam stated, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. "But that was when she lived in an apartment."

"That sort of makes sense." Charlie bowed her head and looked at Sam, lifting her arm up and waving her forward, trying to get the blonde to curl up next to her again. "Where's your pack now?"

"I don't…" Sam trailed off and scooted closer to the end of the bed before hopping right off. She hesitantly wandered over towards Aidan and leaned against the rails of the crib, taking in the sight of baby Bruin, who was sleeping peacefully in the safety of her bed. "I don't know."

Charlie looked up at Aidan, who immediately dropped his gaze down to watch Sam. Sam gently wrapped her hands around the rails of Bruin's crib and stared at the baby, taking in the sight of her. He was prepared to stop her if she tried to do anything to Bruin but Sam merely stood still and gazed on the slumbering child.

"You hungry?" Ethan piped up from his position just inside the door. "Sam, did you want something to eat?"

Sam continued to look at the baby but reluctantly turned her head and forced a smile in Ethan's direction. She nodded her head and pushed herself away from the crib, wandering across the room to meet Ethan, Aidan falling in step behind the child. When they were all together, Ethan offered her his hand and Sam clutched it in hers, the twins, plus Sam, disappearing out of Sydney's room, leaving Isaac and Charlie behind.

Isaac turned his body on the bed and crawled up to sit right next to Charlie, setting his hand on her thigh. Charlie reached out and grasped it in hers, giving his fingers a gentle squeeze as she let out a soft sigh, then she dropped her head down against his shoulder and breathed in his comforting scent.

"This whole 'Ghost Rider' debacle is getting out of hand." Charlie remarked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Isaac let his chin reside on the top of her head and she tuned in to his heartbeat and listened to the rhythm, feeling her body relax at the mere sound. "My classes are getting smaller and I can't even remember the people that may or may not be missing."

"I bet you've got quite a few empty desks now." Isaac pointed out, but even if it sounded like a joke, she knew by his tone that he was far from teasing.

"Yeah. What happens when it's just me left? Do I still have to go to class?"

"Aren't the Ghost Riders taking your teachers?" Isaac quipped and Charlie tipped her head slightly, but she didn't move much more than that. His heartbeat was way too nice of a sound to her ears and she didn't want to give up being able to hear it.

"How would I even know?" She posed. "It's overwhelming to think about."

"It's really bizarre." Isaac agreed. "They just take people and magically they're erased from reality. What do they do with all the stuff that belongs to the people they thieve?"

Charlie offered up an awkward shrug and let her eyes fall shut. She let the sounds of Isaac's heartbeat soothe her even more and when his hand gave hers a slight squeeze, she let out a sigh, determined not to overthink things at that moment. Sydney had made it back in one piece and surely her alpha would come home with some semblance of a plan, Charlie just had to wait for her instructions, surely as a pack, they could come up with some sort of idea, right?

"I don't want you to be taken, I don't ever want to forget you, even if it's just for a second." Charlie confessed.

"We're going to figure this out." Isaac proclaimed. "Syd's no dummy, she'll have some sort of plan, if not now, then soon."

"Yeah, she'll get the twins looking for a solution. She's good like that."

"She's got herself a decent pack." Isaac teased. "Especially with you in it."

"Yes! Sydney and her pack of reformed alphas, plus Charlie." Charlie smirked and looked up at Isaac, forcing his chin away from her head and holding his eyes.

"And Isaac." Isaac added in and smiled back at the girl.

"Wait, does that mean…do you really want to be a part of Syd's pack?" Charlie pressed, hoping that what he was implying was exactly what was going on. She had wanted Isaac to agree to be a part of Sydney's pack since he had first arrived in Beacon Hills, and not just because she had been majorly crushing on him.

Charlie had faith in Sydney as a leader, she knew that no matter who was in the pack, Sydney would do everything in her power to keep them safe, and now here was Isaac confessing that he wanted to be a part of their pack too.

As if things couldn't get any better- well, okay, maybe they could. There were Ghost Riders still on the loose in Beacon Hills and people were still disappearing. So while Isaac maybe, probably, wanting to be her pack mate was great news, she knew that there were still way more important things to worry about.

"I've been thinking about it a lot lately, I've seen how much she cares about this pack, and I want to be a part of it, I want to be a part of something great. My first alpha wasn't that good but I think maybe Syd can help me become a better werewolf." Isaac explained and Charlie nodded her head along in agreement.

"She's made me a better werewolf already. I can fight better than I ever could, I know a lot more about supernatural things than before she came along, I think you're making a good choice Isaac." Charlie couldn't help but beam at him, excited to have yet another pack member, this time she'd have one more her age, and someone that she could more easily relate too. "If you ever _did_ decide you wanted out, I can't picture Syd as the type of alpha who wouldn't let you go and support your decision, whatever it might be."

"That's a good point." Isaac gave her hand a squeeze.

"I know." Charlie scoffed. "So when are you going to tell her?"

"Whenever I feel it's the right time. There's so much more to worry about right now, don't you think?" Isaac baited and Charlie huffed in response.

"Okay, fine. But I want to be there when it happens, promise you'll make sure I'm there?"

Isaac simply nodded his head in agreement before leaning down and closing the distance between their lips. He pressed a sweet little kiss against her lips and when he pulled away, he let out a sigh, relieved at finally making a decision on being a part of Sydney's pack.

Even with the twins around, he knew that it was the best choice for him, especially with the threat of the Ghost Riders continuing to linger in the town limits of Beacon Hills.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts? How do you guys feel about Sam?_**

 ** _Thank you to Judit Hale and WalterTheFemaleDuck for the lovely reviews! You guys are amazing!_**


	18. Chapter 18

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 18** **:**

Charlie wasn't entirely sure what she was expecting but when Sydney slunk through her bedroom door, Derek not far behind her, she would admit to anyone that asked that she was a little surprised; though not surprised enough to put space between her and Isaac, who were still fully clothed and sitting on Sydney's bed.

Isaac was half asleep, and she was curled into his side, but that's what she was told to do, she was told to look after Bruin. Had the twins not whisked Sam away earlier to get her something to eat, Charlie figured the little blonde girl would've been curled up on her other side, sleeping peacefully while waiting for their alpha to return.

Part of her assumed that Sydney wasn't about to leave Peter's side though, especially not if he was in the hospital, but then again, Sydney had Bruin to look after, and Sam now too. Maybe it wasn't that farfetched to think that her alpha would leave the man she loves in order to look after her child, or the rest of her pack for that matter.

Sydney let out a loud sigh and ran her hand through her hair. She rolled her shoulders back and fought off a hiss, anyone in the room knew she was still in pain, and it certainly didn't take super werewolf abilities to realize that. Derek reached out and set his palm against the back of her shoulder, quickly drawing out what pain he could. Without warning, Sydney sunk into his touch, leaning into his body as she let her eyes fall shut.

"How's Peter?" Charlie quipped and moved ever so slightly, parting from Isaac, but not because she was caught, but because this was still Sydney's bed and it was obvious that the woman wanted to curl up under the covers and sleep. Apparently being taken by the Ghost Riders, and then breaking out of the Wild Hunt, was exhausting.

"He's burnt." Sydney answered and let out a frustrated huff. "Bad. Like every freaking inch of him is all black and crusty."

"Not _every_ inch is black and crusty Syd, some of him is all raw and red." Derek supplied and she tucked her head under his chin, slipping an arm around Derek's middle as she clung to him.

"Technicalities." Sydney grumbled as she reluctantly peeled herself away from Derek's hold.

She moved swiftly across the bedroom and took up a stance next to the side of the crib, peering down into it at her slumbering baby girl.

God what she would give to have Peter meet the little girl face to face, she wanted him to be a part of her pack so bad, but he was hurt, he was currently residing in the hospital and truth be told, Peter hadn't looked any better when she left, than when she had first arrived. He hadn't healed, at least not anywhere that she could see, but maybe…maybe she didn't need to worry about him just yet.

Burns took longer to heal, right? Peter had spent six years trying to heal his burns from the first time he had gotten them, maybe she just needed to give him time to heal this time too.

"How's Sam?" Derek spoke up, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"Well uh, last time I checked, she was with the twins." Charlie answered, eying the older male up and down. She gave him a curious look, wondering if he hadn't realized where she was by scent alone.

"I mean, how is she doing?" Derek leveled Charlie with a slight glare but when Sydney stared over at him, he lifted his hands up in surrender and merely held the young beta's gaze. "She was hurt too, I want to know how the burn on her leg is doing."

"She seemed in good spirits before she went downstairs." Charlie quipped.

"Well that's good to know." Derek nodded his head. "It's getting late though, Syd, are you cool if I head back to the loft."

"Yeah." She murmured but her eyes didn't leave Bruin's slumbering form. "I'll call you if I need you."

"Of course." Derek gave another nod of his head and turned his attention towards Isaac, widening his eyes and beckoning him to join him without using words. Isaac peered from Derek to Charlie and let a small smile take over on his face. When Charlie broke her gaze with Isaac and peered over at Derek, she blew out a breath and sat up straight on the bed.

She offered up a shrug in Derek's direction and Isaac moved off the bed, planting his feet on the carpeted floor of the bedroom. He rose up to his full height and wandered along, heading for the door but stopping midway there. He stole another quick look at Charlie, then turned on his heels and meandered over to stand next to Sydney, gently moving his hand up to wrap around the top of the crib, right next to where hers was already residing.

Sydney finally pulled her eyes away from Bruin and instead, she turned her attention towards Isaac, forcing a smile at him, appreciative that he was there to help Charlie look after Bruin, and Sam. She liked Isaac, she liked Isaac _with_ Charlie, so long as they didn't get themselves into any trouble. He was a good kid, and she trusted him, especially when it came to Charlie and her well-being. Sydney felt comfortable letting the two of them hang out, and she didn't mind her beta being in a relationship with the omega.

"I want to be part of your pack." Isaac announced and Sydney cocked her head sideways in confusion. Okay, so yes, she _had_ offered him a place in her pack, but that had been _ages_ ago. Why was he telling her this now? What was so important about this particular moment in time? "Charlie and I were sort of talking about it earlier-"

"And you're okay with being part of a pack that also contains Ethan and Aidan?" Sydney cut him off, knowing that his unease had stemmed from the twins from the very beginning.

She didn't fault Isaac for his hesitation, Ethan and Aidan _had_ been partly responsible for the deaths of Isaac's friends, but she knew them as different people. They had always been there for her, they had done nothing _to_ her and they looked after Bruin without a complaint. She wasn't going to give up the twins any time soon, she just needed to make sure that her pack could live harmoniously together.

"I…uh…yeah." Isaac slowly nodded his head. "They seem to have changed."

Sydney smiled at Isaac's words and gently moved her hand over to cover his, giving his fingers a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"Does that mean you want me to leave him here and _not_ take him back to the loft with me?" Derek piped up, Sydney immediately turning her head to face him directly.

"Well…" Sydney trailed off and peered between Isaac and Charlie, then she looked back at Derek. "For right now, he's still going to be staying with you. This means I have to figure out some sort of sleeping arrangements- god dammit, and I should probably consider Peter in the matter too."

Derek closed the distance between him and Sydney, and even Charlie rushed over to stand next to her alpha. She was frustrated, clearly so, and she was obviously still in pain. Had it really been fair of Isaac to drop this sort of bombshell on her while she was dealing with an overwhelming amount of other things?

"If it helps…I think maybe you and I should have a talk about me joining your pack too." Derek supplied and Sydney leaned into his chest. His arms came around her and he held her tight, giving her all the support she needed. "I'm not outright saying yes, but I do think that this is definitely a good time to talk seriously about it."

Sydney nodded her understanding and twisted in Derek's hold, her own arms coming around his middle as she held him tight. Derek gave a dismissive nod towards Charlie and Isaac and the two young betas quickly made themselves scarce. Derek remained holding his best friend and he felt her entire body relaxing in his grasp.

"You're serious?" She asked in a soft voice. "You don't have to be part of my pack, I won't be mad."

"I'm getting sick of being on my own anyways." Derek replied, his voice equally as soft as hers. "Plus you're my best friend, how could I do any better than having _you_ as an alpha."

"You don't think I'm weak anymore?" She pressed, tipping her head back to meet his gaze. "Because I remember a time when you called me-"

"You're one of the strongest people I know Syd." Derek broke in. "When all this 'Ghost Rider' business calms down, and maybe even when Peter's doing a little better, we can all sit down and have a serious talk about your pack's future."

Sydney gave him a nod of understanding and she hesitantly peeled herself away from him. Derek removed his arms from around her but he didn't dare take a step back, no, he wanted to stick right by her until he knew that she'd be okay, _really_ and _truly_ okay, with him leaving her for the night. She looked utterly defeated and ready to collapse in her bed and sleep for days, but he knew Sydney, she wasn't about to give in, not until she knew that everyone under her roof was okay, which currently included Sam.

Oh yes, Sam. Sam was definitely the unknown factor in the equation. Sure Sydney was willing to look after her now, but was this a permanent solution? Would they ever be able to get the little girl back to her rightful pack? And even if they did manage to find Satomi, would Sydney be willing to just hand the little girl over without much of a fight?

"Thanks Derek." Sydney whispered. "You're a good man."

"Why don't we go check on Sam before I take off for the night?" Derek offered, Sydney immediately nodding her head in agreement. He took a step away from her but extended his hand towards her. Sydney hesitated, peering into the crib for a few seconds longer before she took hold of his hand and let him lead her out of the bedroom.

They moved down the hallway side by side, hand in hand, and when they reached the top of the stairs, Derek dropped down, but Sydney hesitated. She peered down into Derek's eyes and sucked in an anxious breath before opening her mouth to speak.

"Do you think…if you happen to see Argent before me…fuck." Sydney shook her head in frustration, not entirely confident in what she wanted to ask him. "Do you think he'd know how to help Peter heal faster?"

"I'm not sure." Derek answered simply. "But if I hear from him, I'll definitely ask."

"Okay," Sydney gave him a firm nod of her head, "okay, thanks."

Derek forced a smile at her and she dropped down to stand on the tread next to him. Derek lifted his arm up and draped it over her shoulders, giving her a reassuring squeeze as he guided her down to the main floor. They walked through the kitchen and paused in the living room, taking in the sight of Sam curled up in a ball on one end of the couch while Charlie sat on the opposite end watching over her. The twins were set up in the pair of armchairs, each with a laptop open on their laps, and Isaac was sitting on the floor in front of Charlie, his head residing on the cushion.

"Sam?" Derek calmly called out for her and the little girl squirmed under the warm blanket. "Sam, can you come with us for a minute?"

Sam slowly sat up and grasped the edges of the blanket, hugging it around her upper body as she rolled off the couch and planted her feet on the floor. She stared up at Sydney but didn't move, instead, she used her hand to beckon the alpha forward, Sydney moving right for her, scooping her up into her arms and planting her against her hip.

"We just want to check out your burn." Sydney stated in a soothing tone.

"It still hurts." Sam whimpered and wrapped her arms around Sydney's neck, holding on to her tightly.

"Okay."

Once again, Sydney and Derek walked side by side as they moved towards the kitchen, leaving the rest of the pack in the living room, Isaac waiting for Derek to be ready to leave. Sydney gently set Sam down on the edge of the table and ran her hand over her head, tipping it back so that she could meet her eyes.

"We'll figure out how to fix your leg." Sydney promised and Sam nodded her head in understanding. "Can we see it?"

Sam grabbed the side of her pants and tugged the material upwards, revealing the wounded portion of her leg. Derek bent over and gently took hold of the girl's ankle, twisting her leg in order to get a better look at the injury. Sydney stepped closer to Derek and followed his gaze, her eyes examining the raw looking patch of skin on Sam's calf.

"Derek, we need to fix this." Sydney gasped, her eyes raking over the painful looking burn on the back of Sam's leg. "Hers should be healing by now."

"I know." He agreed. "For now, just…just keep an eye on it. I'll make it a point to give Chris a call first thing in the morning."

"Okay." She acquiesced and carefully took a step back, giving Derek a little more space. He didn't move though, instead, he drew out some of the little girl's pain, knowing that Sydney wouldn't have much energy left to do so since she had spent the majority of her time with Peter doing exactly that. "Okay."

"We'll figure it out Syd." Derek turned his head and forced the tiniest hint of a smile in her direction.

"We always do." She nodded her head in response, and prayed that they'd be able to come up with a solution, and _soon_.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Sam had spent the night curled up against Sydney's chest, all the while the female alpha had tried to draw out as much of the little girl's pain as possible before she drifted off into her own peaceful slumber. When morning had come, and Sam hadn't moved a muscle throughout the night, Sydney wondered if maybe she _was_ healing after all.

A quick look at her calf though had Sydney more concerned than ever. It looked just as bad as the night before, in fact, it might even have looked a little worse. It was hard to tell, but it certainly smelled bad, and Sydney found herself desperate for answers. Her plan was to get the pack up and ready for the day and send Charlie off to school before making a call to Chris.

She was half banking on Derek knowing something too, maybe he had contacted the reformed hunter, maybe Derek had an idea as to how to fix Sam, and herself. But Sydney knew that she wasn't the priority, no, she could survive. Her back hurt like a son of a bitch but at least she was alive, at least she wasn't tucked away in a hospital bed with oozing wounds and charred skin.

That was definitely a plus.

So when Derek and Isaac waltzed into the kitchen during breakfast, Sydney was immediately drawn to Derek, who was smiling at her in return. Okay, that had to mean something good was coming her way right? Derek wasn't usually a jovial person, though Sydney knew that since he had been around Bruin as much as he had been, he was certainly starting to lighten up.

"Good news!" Isaac beamed and he bounded into the kitchen, flopping down on the empty chair next to Charlie, who had been eating her breakfast in peace. Bruin was held firmly in Sydney's grasp while she worked away at her own breakfast, the baby peering around the room and grabbing at the ends of Sydney's hair periodically.

"You've solved the 'Ghost Riders' crisis?" Sydney countered and readjusted her hold on Bruin. Derek closed in on her and lowered himself down into the chair beside Sydney, Sam had been residing on her other side, his eyes scanning the kitchen and taking in the sight of Ethan at the stove cooking more eggs and Aidan at the sink washing the dishes that were already used and dirtied. "Or maybe you've figured out how to save Stiles?"

"Can you fix me?" Sam posed and leaned forward, her hand gripping the edge of the table as she held herself steady. "Is that what the good news is?"

"Well…yeah, actually." Isaac grumbled in response and dug out a small vial of thick, gooey liquid. "We were talking to Chris last night and he dropped by this morning with this, said that it healed his Ghost Rider wounds right up."

"So we just what, rub it on Sam's leg?" Sydney questioned and studied Isaac's movements as he gently set the vial on the surface of the table in front of him. When he was finished, he leaned over and let Charlie press a quick kiss against his jaw, basking in the feeling of simply being near her. Oh yes, they were certainly a cute little couple.

"Yeah." Derek nodded his head. "He gave me the list of ingredients too so that if we need to, we can make more."

"Like enough to cure Peter?" Sydney countered in a low tone.

"I was thinking more like enough to fix your back, but once we've nailed that down, we can work away at trying to help my uncle." Derek stated. "Don't worry Syd, we've got a lot of stuff to figure out, we'll just take it one step at a time."

"Yeah, step one: get Sam healed up." Sydney nodded her head and then peered down at the little blonde girl. She held a piece of bacon between her fingers and thumb as she munched away at the crisped meat. Sydney couldn't help but wonder if there was something more that she could've done to protect her?

Would Sam have been better off if she had been left behind for the time being? Could Sydney have figured out a way to get _everyone_ out of the train station? She still needed to get Stiles back, and surely Stiles could've kept an eye on Sam for her, but maybe it was worth it, maybe Sam's burned leg was a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Surely Chris Argent knew what he was talking about, and the vial of goopy liquid would certainly help them out tenfold. Sydney just wasn't sure that she trusted it to do its job without causing Sam any further pain. Maybe it was like the disinfectant spray that her mother used to use when she was younger, maybe it would sting like a bitch before any sort of relief was brought to the wounded area.

Well, there was only one real way to find out, wasn't there?

"Step two, we get your back _back_ to normal." Charlie chuckled. "Get it, your _back_ back to normal."

"If you're not careful I'm going to send you back back to Colorado." Sydney remarked with a teasing smile. "You almost done your breakfast, you _should_ be getting ready for school soon, no?"

Charlie stuck her tongue out at her alpha but settled back into her chair, making quick work of finishing off her breakfast. As soon as her plate was empty, she stood up and walked over to Aidan, handing it to him so that he could wash it like he was doing with the rest of the dishes. Once she had that done, she moseyed on over back to the table and gave Isaac's shoulder a rough pat, signaling that it was, indeed, time to get a move on.

"Be good today." Sydney chided and Charlie rolled her eyes at her. "Seriously, and you better come right home after school. I don't want you stopping for anything."

"Okay, okay I can do that." Charlie nodded her head in understanding and wrapped her hands around Isaac's forearm.

He stood up too and together the two of them disappeared from the kitchen, readying themselves at the front door. When Sydney heard the lock clicking to let her know that the two were off to school, and that they had locked the door behind them, she let out a soft sigh and gripped her baby girl tighter.

"I keep debating whether or not it'd be safer if I kept her at home for a few days." Sydney confessed and peered over at Derek.

"Like Sam?" He quipped in response and looked at the girl sitting on Sydney's other side. She lifted her head up and glared at Derek, apparently the idea of missing school hadn't really crossed _her_ mind at all. "Theoretically, she _should_ also be going to school."

"Really?" Sydney's eyes widened in realization but she quickly shook her head. "I see your point, but I don't know anything about her school, at least at the high school, Charlie's got Scott and Malia and Lydia."

"No Stiles though." Aidan remarked from his place at the sink. "If you want, one of us can be Charlie's tail-"

"That's what Isaac's for now." Sydney cut him off and let out yet another sigh. "Sam, as soon as you're ready, we can try fixing your leg up, sound good?"

"I'm ready now." Sam smiled back in response and Derek rose up from his chair, wandering around the table and wrapping his hand around the vial that Isaac had so nicely left behind.

He headed for the living room and Sydney stood up too, nabbing one last piece of bacon off the plate on the table as she carried Bruin into the living room, following Derek as she moved. She paused at the doorway and waited for Sam to join her, when she did, Sydney beamed down at her and silently prayed that what they were about to do would work.

She didn't need Sam getting worse, she didn't want the girl to hurt any more, and then maybe Derek could get to work at getting her back feeling good as new. She wasn't going to openly complain about how much it hurt, there were definitely bigger things to worry about, but her back was constantly aching and Sydney knew that if she just tried to focus on the bigger picture then maybe she could fight off the pain a tiny bit longer.

Derek motioned for Sam to sit on the coffee table and he dropped down to sit on the couch directly in front of her. Sydney lowered herself down to sit next to him and shifted Bruin so that she could cling to her neck and shoulders instead of just chilling in her arms.

"Is this going to hurt?" Sam quipped and peered up at Derek with wide, innocent eyes.

"Well I'm not too sure." Derek answered softly and offered her his one hand, but Sydney beat him to the punch, gingerly grabbing hold of Sam's wrist before he had a chance. "But we'll try to draw out any pain if it does start to hurt too much, okay?"

"Okay." Sam murmured and scooted closer to the edge of the coffee table. Derek pulled the lid off the vial and hesitated before moving it closer to Sam, who lifted her leg up and set it on his knee. He gently took hold of her ankle so that she couldn't flail too much and then he began to poor the slow moving liquid out, onto the vicious looking burn on the back of her calf.

She whimpered as the so-called remedy began to run over the char marks but when Sydney made a move to draw out her pain, she found that it was becoming harder and harder to find much. By the time that Derek had gotten the liquid onto almost all of the burn, Sam was already starting to relax, a peaceful expression took over on her face and she let out a soft sigh of relief as Sydney, who could no longer find any pain to draw out of her, let go of her wrist.

The burn itself smoked a little bit before it disappeared right in front of their eyes, leaving behind smooth, flawless skin where there had once been a nasty char mark. Sam moved her foot away from Derek's knee and set it on the ground before climbing off the coffee table and standing up, lunging for him and hugging him.

"Thank you." She whispered as she hugged Derek tight and reluctantly, he embraced the little girl in return, basking in the feeling of doing something right in order to help her. "It feels a _lot_ better."

"I bet." Derek nodded and when Sam pulled herself away from him, she grinned at him before looking towards Sydney. "Why don't you go back to the kitchen and have some more breakfast?"

"Okay." Sam nodded and took off in a quick little jog. She disappeared from sight and Sydney sucked in a breath, wondering what the next step was. There was still a little bit of the remedy left but certainly it wouldn't be enough to heal her entire back, right?

"I'm going to put this on the worst of your burns for right now and then once that's done, we can get to work on making more." Derek suggested, Sydney merely nodding her head. "Lift your shirt?"

Sydney twisted so that her back was to him and as swiftly as she could with one hand, the other still firmly gripping her daughter, she peeled her t-shirt upwards revealing her grotesque looking burns. Derek ghosted his fingers over the parts of her wound that weren't so bad and she flinched at his 'barely-there' touch.

"Step three, we help Peter and then get to work on getting rid of the Ghost Riders." Sydney instructed. "I'm done playing their games, I'm done letting them run this town. Beacon Hills is ours to protect."

"I'm with you there." Derek nodded and raised the vial upwards, getting ready to put it on the worst of her wound. "You and me, we're in this, until the end."

"I'm not going down without a fight."

"Me neither."

A silence fell over them and when the remedy hit her back, she ground her teeth together and felt the pain worsen the tiniest little bit before it began to dissipate. Okay, okay, this was working, it was nice, she could feel sweet relief from the worst of it and she prayed that her and Derek could figure out how to make more of this stuff rather quickly.

If she could get herself up to full strength, then there wasn't going to be anything stopping her from getting Peter out of the hospital, or getting Stiles from the clutches of the Ghost Riders.

This was her town to protect, and she wasn't going to back down from _any_ fight, not now, not ever.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thank you everyone who continues to read this and leave me such wonderful reviews! I hope you're all still enjoying it and I'd love your thoughts on whether to end this after 6A or continue it into 6B?_**


	19. Chapter 19

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 19** **:**

With the handle of Bruin's carrier gripped firmly in her hand, Sydney wandered down the hall and headed right for Peter's room. She didn't care if her baby girl should be in the hospital, she just wanted Peter to see her, she wanted the man she loved to meet their daughter, and nothing was going to get in her way.

She had no idea how much time they had before the Ghost Riders came back for them, _if_ they came back for them at all, but Sydney wasn't going to chance it. She was doing this and she was doing it now.

Turning into the door of Peter's room, she sucked in a breath and tuned her ears into his rhythmically beating heart. Good, that was good, at least he hadn't died while she had been gone, he hadn't had a chance to pass on without meeting Bruin, not that she was figuring he would.

But there were things out there that could harm him without her even knowing and what was stopping the Ghost Riders from attacking the hospital and clearing it out? The simple answer was nothing, and Sydney wasn't about to just let them get back to Peter. He was hers to protect until he was healed and back up to snuff, he was the man she loved and nothing, _nothing_ at all, was going to get to him so long as she had anything to say about it.

"I can hear her." Peter murmured from his spot on his hospital bed. Sydney's lips curled up into a smile and she shook her head before peering down at her slumbering baby. Bruin was tucked into her carried, a blanket wrapped around her snugly, and she was sleeping peacefully, blissfully unaware of the dangers around her. "Her heartbeat anyways."

"She's asleep." Sydney countered and slipped between the plastic sheets hanging all around his bed. "The car usually knocks her right out."

Without putting it off any longer, Sydney hauled the carrier up and carefully set it on the end of Peter's bed, putting it down next to his feet. She leaned over the baby and undid the straps holding her in before gingerly peeling the tiny baby out of her restraints. Sydney let Bruin snuggle into her hold before she cautiously lowered herself down to sit on the bed next to Peter.

He made a lame attempt to sit up but he didn't make it any more than a couple of inches. Sydney snorted at him but Peter relaxed into the bed once again, letting the alpha lay down next to him instead of him trying to sit up. Sydney readjusted the baby on her chest and faced Bruin towards him, the little baby girl still sleeping, her body being kept warm by a soft blanket.

"Can you see her?" Sydney asked in a whisper and leaned forward the slightest little bit, pressing a kiss against the side of Bruin's head. "Or did you want me to move?"

"I can…" He trailed off and his eyes raked over the baby in Sydney's hold. He couldn't look away from her, she was just as Sydney had stated, the little girl was perfect. She was beautiful, and flawless and everything that he could've wished for her. This was his daughter, this was the child that he had created with Sydney; the woman he loved. "She's…"

"She's amazing." Sydney supplied with a smile and peered over at Peter, taking in the look of disbelief on his face. This _was_ new to him, and while part of her felt bad for him not being there from the beginning, she knew that this was better than nothing.

Malia had been without her real father for years, so in hindsight, Bruin wasn't doing that bad. Plus it wasn't like she had any control over Peter or where he had been. Eichen House never would've let him out simply because he was due to be a father, and even after he had managed to escape, it wasn't like the Ghost Riders would go easy on him because he had a family.

No, this was as good as it was going to get, and Sydney wasn't going to dwell too much on the fact that he had missed out on Bruin for so long already.

"She smells like you." Peter pressed.

"Really because I think she smells like you." Sydney countered and pressed another kiss against Bruin's head. The baby didn't flinch, or make any sort of movement at all; she was right out, sleeping soundly, and maybe part of it was because she was near her father-

"A perfect combination." Peter spoke softly, breaking Sydney out of her own head.

Sydney moved her one hand away from Bruin, who was perfectly content lying against her chest, and wrapped her fingers around Peter's wrist. Without him questioning her, she began to draw out his pain, feeling it settling within her body, but not complaining. She wanted him to be better, she wanted him to be able to hold Bruin on his own, and sit up in order to look at her. She wanted him to come home with her and join her in her bed, she wanted him to be able to take care of Bruin morning, noon and night.

She just wanted him to get better, to heal up quickly so that they could move on with their lives together, so that they could be Bruin's parents _together_. She had spent way too much time away from him and all she wanted was for Peter to walk into her house with her and Bruin.

"I love her _so_ much." Sydney mumbled and let out a soft sigh.

Peter let out a sigh of his own and tried to shift in the bed. She squeezed his wrist harder though, causing him to let out a hiss of pain, but Peter did what she wanted him to do, and that was not try to move. He remained still, letting her continue to draw out his pain, all the while, he stared at the slumbering form of his daughter.

 _His_ daughter. He still couldn't believe it was real. Yes, he had Malia, and he wanted to try and make things right with her, but this was a whole other ball game. This was a child that he could look watch over for the entirety of her life. Bruin needed him, she deserved to have him in her life, and Peter silently vowed that he would do whatever he possibly could to keep the baby safe.

He owed it to Sydney, he _had_ to make it up to her too. She had deserved so much more in Mexico than he had given her, and it had been his own fault that he had wound up in Eichen House, as much as he hated to admit it. It had been pure hell there, but here he was, out of the insane asylum and currently in a hospital bed.

If he could just get better, if his body could heal, then he could get on with his life, he could take care of Bruin the way she deserved to be taken care of.

"You deserved so much more." Peter confessed, Sydney sucking in a breath of air.

"I've told you before though, I knew what I was getting in to with you." Sydney replied.

"It doesn't matter-"

"Maybe, maybe not, but I just…I want you out of here, I want you to come home with me." Sydney cut him off and curled up against his side the tiniest little bit more, careful of his injured body. "I love you."

"I love you too." He murmured.

A blanket of silence fell over them and Sydney merely looked at her baby, taking in the sight of how absolutely peaceful she looked. She hoped that now that Peter was back in their life, maybe Bruin would settle in, maybe she'd get used to the idea of having not only a loving mother but a loving father to go along with the rest of the pack that adored Bruin to pieces.

When Peter's arm, the one not in Sydney's grasp, moved upwards, she watched in awe as he ghosted his fingers over the back of Bruin's head. As soon as his fingertips touched the baby's skin, she felt Peter's body shudder a little bit- well that was new.

What the hell had happened?

Was there something about Bruin that caused him to shiver, was there something about their baby that had put his body on edge?

"I had a few nightmares while you were gone." Sydney admitted, choosing to ignore Peter's reaction to his baby for the time being. If he didn't seem concerned about it, then she wouldn't push it. Hell, maybe he was all just hitting him at once, maybe having a child, a real live baby, was settling in. "You kept trying to kill me."

"I'd never…you know I'd never hurt you." Peter said softly. "Don't you?"

Sydney offered him up a shrug in response, "I'd like to think that I know that."

"But…?" He baited and she took her bottom lip in between her teeth. "Sydney, I would never hurt you, or Bruin."

"But would you never hurt my pack?" She pressed.

"I don't know." Peter answered honestly. Sydney held her breath and waited for him to go on and explain things further but he didn't make a sound, he didn't even budge, except to run his fingers down Bruin's back, his heartbeat smoothing out as he repeated the motion over and over again.

"They're my pack Peter, they're part of my life-"

"I know that." He cut her off with a scoff. "I'm not saying I'm not going to do anything you won't like but I can't guarantee that I'll be able to play nice with each and every one of your betas."

"They've been there for me and Bruin-"

"And I can give you my word that I'll try my best, but you have to understand that I don't trust them when it comes to my own wellbeing, just like they most likely don't trust me." Peter explained. She could feel him tensing, she could hear his heart picking up in speed. God, why did Peter have to be so complicated?

Why did he have to be a bad guy? Why couldn't she have fallen for someone on the side of good? She could've had someone else, someone more like Parrish, or hell, even Derek, yet she had chosen Peter. She had fallen in love with Peter Hale and there was no going back now.

She just wished that it could be simple with him. She wanted her pack to like him, she wanted him to get along with her pack, but she knew that it wasn't going to be that easy, she had been thinking about it constantly since coming back to California from Colorado.

Things were obviously going to change, especially now that Peter was back and they were dealing with the Ghost Riders. Part of her regretted leaving Colorado all together, at least there it had been easy, it had been nice and relaxing and things seemed to have fallen into place. But she hadn't had Peter there. Bruin hadn't had her father.

So was it worth it, would all the complexity of her pack and Peter be worth it in the end?

"You haven't even met Charlie." Sydney pointed out. "I think you'd like her, either that or you'd find her infuriating."

"Is she like you?" Peter countered.

"I don't know." Sydney stated honestly. "I haven't really given it much thought, but she's a good beta. She's fiercely loyal and we're really close; I love having a female friend."

Peter gave her a slight nod and removed his hand from Bruin's back, instead, he curled his index finger under and ran his knuckle over the soft skin of his baby's jaw. Sydney held her breath, simply watching her baby and her mate, hoping that it'd work out for them all.

When Bruin began to squirm against her chest, Sydney loosened her grip on Bruin and watched even more closely as she raised her head off her chest just an inch. When the baby's eyes popped open, Sydney's widened in awe, spotting the familiar, yet rare, streak of red swirling through Bruin's eyes.

Managing to peel her gaze away from Bruin, she looked over at Peter, who was staring into Bruin's eyes, his own icy blues being brought out. He continued to hold Bruin's eyes and when the girl let out a loud coo, she squirmed even more and Sydney made a move to sit up, cradling her against her chest.

"My baby alpha." Sydney teased and shifted more on the bed, sitting up straight beside Peter. He looked up at her and slowly his lips curled upwards into a smile. "Sorry, _our_ baby alpha."

"I don't want to stop looking at her." Peter matched her tone with his own. "She's perfect, just like her mother."

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"Peter, hey Peter?" Sydney murmured, trying to remain quiet so as not to disturb her healing mate. Bruin was curled up on her chest and she was curled against Peter's side as much as possible considering too harsh of any sort of contact pained him.

The three of them had been silent for quite a while, Bruin having fallen asleep and Peter trying to stay alert and awake. She felt bad for keeping him up but she knew that he was completely mesmerized by the mere presence of his daughter. If she had any doubts in her mind about him hurting Bruin before, well, she certainly didn't any more.

It was clear that he adored the baby, and he adored her. Being away from Peter for as long as Sydney had been had clearly started to cause her to forget how much she truly loved him. He was it for her, he was all she needed to be happy, aside from Bruin of course. Now if she could just figure out how to help Peter get back to full strength and get him out of the hospital, then everything would be perfect.

Well, aside from the threat of the Ghost Riders running rampant through Beacon Hills that is. Yes, they were still a huge damper on her happy mood, and until someone figured something out, if they could get the people stuck in the train station out, then that would solve a _lot_ of their problems. Peter meant a lot to her, but she wasn't about to abandon Stiles for him, not at all.

"Peter?" Sydney whispered yet again and shifted the tiniest little bit against him. She felt his body tense and when he let out a soft groan, most likely from the pain, she blew out a breath and made quick work of sitting up next to him, Bruin firmly held against her chest. "I think I'm going to take her home."

"You're…going to leave?" He countered, his voice laced with fear; something she had never really heard in Peter's tone before.

"I'll come back, but she's going to get hungry, and fussy, soon so I should probably head home and take care of that. But I'll come right back, I promise."

"Oh." Peter let out a breath and relaxed in the bed.

She made her way to her feet and then began settling Bruin into her carrier. She gently laid the baby against the thin padding lining the hard plastic carrier, then she made sure to strap her in securely before readjusting the small blanket so that it covered her, keeping her safe and warm from the cool outside air.

"Plus I want to check on Charlie, make sure she's not getting into anything messy with Isaac." Sydney teased and forced a smile in his direction. "I'm coming right back though, okay, I'm not going to just leave you here alone."

Peter gave a firm nod of his head and Sydney lifted the carrier up and held it in her hand at her side. She leaned in towards Peter, set her free hand on his arm and gave it a gentle squeeze, drawing out the tiniest bit of pain that she could. She didn't bother kissing him, she didn't bother touching him anymore than with her hand, no, he was too wounded for any of that, but she made sure to flash him one last smile before heading out the door, letting out a huge sigh of relief once she was in the hall.

She could feel her heart pounding against her chest and she knew that if she didn't figure out a way to get him out of there soon, then she wasn't going to be able to stop thinking about it. The idea of leaving Peter there, all alone and vulnerable, did _not_ sit well with her. What was stopping the Ghost Riders from waltzing into the hospital and taking him without anyone, including Peter himself, putting up a fight?

Nothing, the answer was nothing. She had to be the barrier between them and him, she had to do her best to protect him, and damn it, she was going to do her best. Maintaining order within her pack, looking after Bruin, _and_ making sure Peter wasn't stolen right out from under her nose was starting to feel overwhelming.

What was her main priority? What was she supposed to put first?

Bruin seemed like the obvious answer, and she would never try to pass off her duties as the girl's mother to someone else, but she knew that if she could get Peter better, if she could just figure out how to get his grotesque burns to heal, then he'd be another set of hands who would easily help her look out for Bruin.

So did that make Peter her main priority? Did he suddenly become more important than her own child?

"Mommy loves you Bruin." Sydney murmured down towards the baby and she set her sights on the exit. If she could just get out of the hospital, if she could just get herself home where her pack was, she knew she'd feel better.

They were there for her, they would _always_ be there for her, and she trusted them to take care of Bruin. Hell, Sydney had left Bruin with them when she had played the role of bait to the Ghost Riders, she hadn't regretted leaving Bruin in their care for a second.

This was different though, wasn't it? She had Bruin's father back, she had Peter in her life once again, and all that was stopping him from being an active part of their family was the fact that his skin was burnt and charred beyond repair.

Sydney made her way out of the hospital quickly and secured Bruin into the backseat of the car. She remained silent and focused as she drove home and when she pulled into the driveway, she sucked in a breath and freed Bruin from her seat. It was when she was on the front step that she finally felt a wave of relief flood through her.

This was her home, this was where she belonged, and she trusted the people inside, which, to her surprise, currently included Derek. She could smell him, she could hear his voice, and it was lighter than she had anticipated. Was he actually having _fun_ with her pack?

Sydney pushed the door open and stepped inside, immediately setting her sights on the group of betas gathered in the living room. Charlie and Isaac were sitting on the floor on one side of the coffee table, the twins were each in their own armchair and Derek was on the couch, Sam right next to him. There were sheets of paper strewn all over the surface of the table and Sam held a mint green pencil crayon in her hand.

"Hey Syd!" Charlie chirped and threw her hand into the air to wave. Sydney nodded back at her and flipped her shoes off before moseying on into the living room to join them. She lowered her butt down onto the couch next to Sam and flashed the girl a smile.

"What are you guys doing?" Sydney quipped and set Bruin's carrier down on the floor, undoing her restraints and lifting her out of the seat. She moved her baby so that Bruin was cradled against her chest, then she looked around the room and took note that there were pictures of the Ghost Riders on the table, some a little more messy and childlike than others. "Researching?"

"Sort of." Derek replied, the twins standing up from their seats and making their way out of the living room. She wasn't entirely sure what they were doing but when they set foot in the kitchen, she figured that they were going to be getting Bruin something to eat. Taking care of the girl was starting to become natural to them and Sydney wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "We thought if we could get some more information from Sam here about the Ghost Riders, then maybe we could figure out some sort of advantage over them."

"Oh." Sydney cocked her head sideways and leaned back against the couch, Sam immediately moving closer to her, leaning her head against her arm. "You being a good help Sam?"

"I'm trying." Sam said softly and let out a sigh. "I'm not a very good drawer though."

Derek grabbed the edge of one of the pieces of paper and lifted it up in front of Sydney, holding it for her to see. There was a rough drawing of what she could only assume was a Ghost Rider and if this is what Sam had managed to draw, then it wasn't _all_ bad. She had the sunken, hollow black holes where their eyes _should_ have been, and she had managed to give the visible skin the ropey, wooden like texture similar to tree bark. Even the abstract drab brown overcoat and hat were there.

For a little girl, Sam was doing a rather decent job of being a good witness.

"This is good." Sydney gave her a nod of praise. "You could add the black scraggly hair though."

"Oh!" Sam straightened up on the couch and leapt forward, her feet landing with a small thud on the floor of the living room. She grabbed hold of a black pencil crayon from the small collection on the table and gently set the mint green one down. Sydney placed the girl's drawing down in front of her and before she knew it, Sam was scribbling black waves around the sides of the Ghost Rider's head.

Derek watched on as Sam furiously added the detail to her picture and before she even had a chance to finish, Sydney spoke up again.

"Boots Sam, they wore boots, right?"

Sam paused for a second, just long enough to glance back at Sydney and nod her head in agreement. She threw down the black pencil crayon, took hold of a brown one, and began to roughly sketch boots over where the mint green blobs for feet already existed on the page. Before Sydney knew it, the drawing was starting to take shape and the more she looked at it, the more she felt her heart pick up in pace.

They were still out there, they were still taking people, and they still _had_ Stiles. God, what the hell were they supposed to do, what sort of plan were they going to come up, if they even managed to come up with a plan at all?

She needed to get Stiles back, she needed to focus on him, even if it was just for a little while. Bruin was safe so long as she stuck with the pack, and Peter was currently residing in the hospital, so he was a step above Stiles, but her human friend was still trapped in the train station, and it wasn't like he could leave the same way that they had?

She had watched the other guy try to leave and he had dissolved into…well…nothing. He had disappeared, he was gone forever, and Sydney shuddered at the thought of that happening to Stiles too.

"They look like cowboys?" Charlie piped up and she peered from Sam's hand drawn picture upwards to meet Sydney's eyes.

"Like old weathered cowboys, yes. They don't have any mouths though and they don't have eyes, just big old black holes where their eyes _should_ be." Sydney supplied. "They're _huge_ too. Some of them use whips, some of them use guns, but either way, when they take people…well the people just disappear in a puff of green smoke."

"And you guys just went through what- a portal? Is that how you got out of wherever they took you?" Charlie pressed.

"We were in a train station." Sydney bowed her head and peered down at Bruin. "Yeah, well…Peter jumped onto the back of one of their horses, the three of us hitched a ride with one of the Ghost Riders, but basically we came through the portal. It burned him up pretty good."

"And only got your back, and Sam's leg?" Isaac spoke up.

"Yeah, she was sandwiched between us." Sydney nodded her head. "But she's fixed."

"She is." Derek smiled at her. "And the good news is that we have the antidote to fix the rest of your back too."

"And Peter?" Sydney leaned in closer to him, hoping that he had good news for her. "Can we fix him?"

"Not yet." Charlie shook her head. "We were uh, we were taking a break though. It's not like we can produce this antidote stuff in mass quantities."

"Hey, why don't you guys take Sam and Bruin into the kitchen with the twins?" Derek suggested and stood up too. "I'll go grab the stuff we made and take care of Syd."

Charlie and Isaac clambered to their feet and Sam slipped away from the coffee table, nabbing Charlie's hand in the process. Isaac reached over and Sydney handed Bruin off to him while Derek disappeared from the room, Charlie and Isaac leading Sam into the kitchen and leaving her all alone for a few seconds.

When Derek returned, he dropped down next to Sydney and motioned for her to turn around so that her back was to him. Without having to be asked, she stripped off her jacket and lifted up the back of her shirt, Derek's hands ghosting over the band of her bra before he undid the clasp, giving him nearly unobstructed access to her wounds.

"I'm going back to the hospital." Sydney confessed and gathered her hair, moving it forward and over her shoulder, keeping it out of the way as Derek's fingers spread the goop over her burned back. "Can you do me a favour and stay here until I get back?"

"Yeah." Derek breathed the word out and continued to spread the green remedy over her back.

"Normally I wouldn't care but I don't want you out there by yourself, not with the Ghost Riders, plus if you stay here-"

"I'm an extra pair of hands to protect Bruin." Derek finished for her. "I got this Syd, don't worry."

She nodded her head and bit down on her lip, feeling the pain in her back building up. There was a sharp shooting searing feeling from where Derek had put the antidote but before she had a chance to let out any sort of pained noise, it stopped. It had just stopped, like her back was perfectly fine, no traces of anything at all. When she felt Derek run his palm across her back, she let out a soft sigh and slumped back into him, her shirt falling down slightly to cover her back.

"I just want this to be over." Sydney sighed and tipped her head back, peering up at Derek.

"We'll get through this." Derek nodded his head and slipped his arm around her, giving her an awkward backwards hug. "One step at a time Syd."

"One step at a time." She echoed his words and let her eyes fall shut, a peaceful feeling taking over her. It wouldn't last long, but it would be enough to keep her going for as long as she'd need to.

Things were far from over.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Well, there it is, Peter's finally met his little one face to face. What did you all think?_**


	20. Chapter 20

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 20** **:**

It was almost weird walking back into the hospital without Bruin, but nonetheless, Sydney carried on down the main hall and worked her way towards where Peter was being held. She paused though at the sight of Malia standing in front of the one and only Melissa McCall, huh, well that was new, certainly something she hadn't witnessed so far, but Malia _was_ Peter's daughter, she _was_ technically entitled to visit him.

With a quick look around, Sydney made note that the rest of the waiting room was empty and there were just a couple other staff walking around but Sydney had yet to see Malia here, even though Peter had been in the hospital for a couple of days now.

If she was honest with herself, and even if Peter _was_ her father, she knew that the girl wasn't all that interested in making nice with him, not that she could blame her. Peter wasn't all that friendly to a lot of people, half the time he was barely nice to her, but she loved him no matter what and now that he knew about Bruin, she hoped that things would get better, if only she could get him out of the hospital, and back to the house.

Cautiously, Sydney moved closer to the two females, wondering if they would welcome her or send her away. She didn't know how much of what was going on either of them knew, but she was aware that Melissa had been working with Chris Argent the night she had been taken by the Ghost Riders, the same night that she had discovered Peter in the train station and broken free through the supernatural rift, which is precisely why Peter was in the hospital to start with.

God it seemed like so long ago but it hadn't been more than a week, _if_ that. Whatever was happening in Beacon Hills, whatever the Ghost Riders were planning, it was moving fast and there wasn't much anyone could do to stop it, not _yet_ anyways. But she was home, she was back in Beacon Hills, back with her pack, and she wasn't going to give up, not until she had Stiles back. At the very least, if she could save him from the train station, then surely he could help come up with an idea to save the rest of the people that had been stolen, right?

"Hey!" Malia turned to face her and Sydney froze dead in her tracks, raising her hands up into the air in surrender. She didn't mean any harm and she didn't want to interrupt, she merely wanted to check and make sure that Malia and Melissa were doing okay considering all the shit that was going on. "You're here for Peter?"

"Yeah." Sydney nodded her head slowly and cautiously closed the distance between them. When she was within a reasonable distance, she stopped and gave Malia a once over, seeing that she was currently unharmed, then she looked to Melissa and made a mental note that she was holding a file, a file with Peter's name on it. Well that was definitely something that piqued her interest, maybe if she could get a better look at the file she could better know what was going on with Peter and the fact that he wasn't healing. "I was here before, I just took Bruin home."

"Oh." Malia dropped her eyes downwards and scanned them up Sydney's body, taking in the sight of the female alpha.

"If you want to see her…I mean, you can come over any time." Sydney offered, wondering if this girl would want anything to do with her half-sister. That's technically what they were and Malia deserved a chance to be in Bruin's life, if that was something she wanted. Perhaps it was Sydney's fault for not making it easy on the teen, maybe she should've tried harder to involve Bruin with Malia. "I mean that."

"That's not why I'm here." Malia shook her head, sucking in a breath as she did so. Her focus was on whatever she had come here for and she wasn't going to let anything distract her from the task at hand. "I need Peter's help."

"Help? You came for his help. Well he's not doing that great right now, I'm not sure how much he's going to be able to _help_ you, especially considering he can barely move." Sydney answered, choosing her words carefully. She hated to think that he wasn't going to get better but she knew that burns like the ones he had suffered were a lot more serious to a werewolf than anything else she had seen him deal with. "He went through a supernatural portal and he's all burned and-"

"I know, I was the one who found him." Malia cut her off and Sydney cocked her head sideways in confusion. "I heard him howling, tracked him down with Scott."

"You found him? The night he broke through, _you_ were the one that found him? Oh god." Sydney lifted her hands up and set them on the top of her head while she turned to face the hallway where Peter was located. "That's…he's so burned, it's _so_ bad."

"To be more exact, he has third degree burns over ninety percent of his body," Melissa stated, joining the conversation and drawing Sydney's attention back to the two of them, "I should be telling you two to say your goodbyes."

"No." Sydney shook her head, moving her hands away from her hair. "He's not going to die, I'm not going to let that happen, there's no way that I'm going to be saying goodbye."

"Exactly." Malia threw out. "This is Peter we're talking about. It's _just_ Peter, I don't need to say goodbyes. I need you to fix him so we can find out what he knows about the Wild Hunt."

Sydney moved her eyes over to meet Melissa's but the nurse was staring at Malia, apparently something else was on her mind. She wasn't sure what these two really thought about Peter but she knew that Melissa was absolutely warranted in not trusting him. Hell, Sydney didn't trust him still and she was mated to him. Peter was a manipulative son of a bitch who thought only about himself, she just hoped that maybe he would think about Bruin at this point too.

She deserved her father, but Sydney wasn't going to hold her breath.

"Remember who we're dealing with: your father is a ruthless con man who always has a devious plan to hurt everyone around him. What happens when he gets up out of that bed? You got a plan of your own?" Melissa quipped and Sydney let out a small scoff.

"First of all, he's not out to hurt _everyone_ around him, and second of all, it's not like he's not getting out of that bed any time soon." Sydney pointed out. "Unless you have some sort of miracle cure- Derek's working on something but it's going to take a little bit."

"Well we've got a little something." Melissa countered with a small smirk.

"Oh." Sydney dropped her eyes to her feet, wondering what Melissa could know that she didn't. Her and Derek were born werewolves, surely they knew more about the supernatural than Melissa McCall, but maybe it was possible there was something more about the woman in front of her; maybe she had adapted really quickly to the fact that her own son had been bitten and turned. "Well…then _do_ you have a plan?"

She peered over at Malia and wondered how much of her father she had in her. Was Malia as devious and callous as Peter, had she inherited that from him? Or was she a little less manipulative and a lot more focused on actually helping people, case in point, her friends? And even more specifically, Stiles?

"I have a plan, I don't know if it's devious." Malia remarked.

"At least it's a plan." Melissa offered up with a nonchalant look on her face. Sydney bit down on her bottom lip and wondered how this was going to work.

"Doesn't always have to be devious." Sydney threw out with a small shrug.

Was Malia prepared to help Peter in a humane way or was the 'little something' that Melissa was talking about something a little more menacing than she was anticipating? Sydney's plan had Derek back at the house figuring out how to mass produce the goop that he had used on her and Sam, the same goop that had healed them up without leaving a mark, not even a hint as to how bad their burns had been. But maybe Melissa had a better idea, an easier plan in her mind, or did she have the same goop as Sydney only enough of it to help him? Had she figured out a way to mass produce the goop on her own?

Tucking her hands into the pocket on her jacket, Sydney carefully followed Melissa as she took the lead, Malia falling in step next to her. She shook her head but remained silent, letting Melissa take them down the hall and into Peter's room, which they entered swiftly, and without hesitation. It still gave her the willies every time she walked into the room, and seeing Peter so helpless in the bed didn't help either.

To her, he was always so much stronger, practically undefeatable, yet here he was, burnt to a crisp and left for dead by almost everyone except her.

Sydney still didn't know what their plan was, or why Malia _really_ needed Peter's help. Sure she had claimed it was so that he could tell them more about the Wild Hunt but he could do that laying in the bed, right? So why did she require him to be mobile, why did Malia need him to be fixed?

"What…" Sydney trailed off and paused just inside the doors, her feet stopping completely as she refused to move any further. She remained standing and watched as Malia and Melissa moved forward without her, heading closer to the plastic sheeting surrounding her severely burned partner. "I was there too."

"What do you mean you were there too?" Malia froze in her tracks and whipped her entire body around to face her. "Where were you?"

"In the Wild Hunt…I think. It was a train station, but I was there, I saw Stiles, that's where I found Peter…he was the one that got me out."

"You…you were taken?" Melissa leveled Sydney with a look of disbelief.

"Yeah." Sydney fought off the urge to smirk. "The night you were out with Argent, when you shot at Malia…I was with you, that's the night I was taken."

"You were…you were there that night…" Melissa wasn't asking her, it sounded more like she was testing the words out, like she was trying to convince herself that she remembered seeing Sydney in the woods with them. "You were with us?"

"I was," Sydney gave a nod of her head, "and then I heard the horses, so I played bait. They took me, I wound up in the train station, I was with Stiles and Peter…it was all so bizarre, but, like I said, Peter got me out."

"So maybe we don't _need_ Peter." Melissa supplied. "Maybe we can just leave him here? We've got Sydney, maybe she can-"

"No, no we need him. He came through the rift." Malia countered. "Maybe you did too, but I need him to show me where he came through because you weren't there when I found him."

"That's fair. I probably couldn't tell you where I came through anyways, I was more than a little distracted." Sydney explained, her mind drifting to Sam and how much she had been hurting when they had come through. She recalled how panicked she was at losing Peter and by the time she had rushed home, she had blanked out on where the two of them had come through.

Sure she could've tracked their scents back but it didn't matter, Peter had come through the rift so surely that his entire body was blackened and charred nearly beyond recognition. She had been pained to the core to see him so badly injured when she had arrived at the hospital, and it wasn't really fair. No, she had barely any wounds on her, so wherever he had come through would have a definitively stronger scent, making it easier for them to track. Plus, if they knew how to fix Peter, then Sydney was going to give Melissa and Malia a chance to do just that, because up until this point, she wasn't really very close to figuring out a cure for him, not one that could help him relatively quickly.

"You can fix him though," Malia remarked, looking at Melissa before taking a few steps closer to Peter, "you said you had a way."

"I can't _promise_ this will work though." Melissa replied.

"You said he was dying anyway. What does he have to lose?" Malia shot back.

"I can hear you, I'm not dead yet." Peter's voice was low and strained and without hesitating, Sydney pushed past the two and wandered through the plastic sheeting, stopping only to gingerly lower her butt down to the edge of the bed next to him. She was going to be his support, these two other females weren't going to get their hands on him and cause him pain, not unless Sydney allowed them too. She didn't trust them completely but she figured that if Malia needed his help, then she wasn't going to hinder that, right?

Melissa and Malia followed her lead but they wandered around to the other side of his bed, standing and not sitting. Sydney gently slipped her hand around his and sucked in a breath before drawing out whatever pain she could handle.

"For the record, I didn't bring them with me. I just met up with them in the hall." Sydney said in a low tone.

"I figured." Peter said softly and looked past her at the plastic sheeting, which was still moving slightly from when they had all walked through it, "although I think they put that there to protect me. Glad to see you're obeying hospital protocols."

"Your daughter asked me to treat you." Melissa claimed and Sydney cocked her head sideways. It was hard for her to hear Malia being called 'his daughter', no matter how much she tried to get used to it, she would never fully like the situation. Malia _was_ his daughter but that didn't mean Sydney had to like it.

"In exchange for what?" Peter countered and Sydney gave his wrist a squeeze before reluctantly peeling her hand away from him. She crossed her arms over her chest and fought off the urge to roll her eyes. Of course he would want something, but maybe in this particular case she didn't blame him. He was immobilized in a hospital bed, he was burned to a crisp, and who the hell knew how much pain he was well and truly in.

They clearly didn't care that much about his actual well-being, and yes they were going to 'fix' him but at what cost? Would Peter be better off if she put her foot down and demanded to know what exactly they planned on doing to him?

"Told you, you needed a plan." Melissa hissed in Malia's direction, tearing her eyes away from Peter for the time being.

"Malia said she _had_ one." Sydney pointed out and locked her eyes on the teenaged girl across the bed. "So, pray tell, what plan have you come up with Malia?"

"She helps you," Malia motioned towards Melissa, "you help me."

"That's a bit open-ended. What if I don't agree to your conditions?" Peter quipped.

"I leave you for dead." Melissa retorted without a second of hesitation. There was no doubt in Sydney's mind that she would do just as she claimed, but she wasn't about to let him die, not without putting up one hell of a fight.

"Okay, no one's leaving anyone to die, I won't let that happen." Sydney piped up. "He's a werewolf, if he hasn't died by now, he probably won't-"

"So, what exactly do you know about our kind of medicine?" Peter broke in and Sydney let out a low growl, not appreciating him cutting her off.

Peter shot her a quick glance but leveled his eyes on Melissa. Okay, maybe she should've just stayed quiet, maybe Melissa already knew what she had to say, but was it necessary for the older woman to make a comment like she had? Peter wasn't going to die, he had people on his side, even if Melissa wasn't one of them. Sydney would never just give up and let him pass on, no, she'd fight with everything she had.

Melissa's intimidation technique wasn't even phasing on her. Then again, Sydney wasn't the one lying in the hospital bed covered in third degree burns, she wasn't the one that Melissa needed to address at all.

"I know about the Nine Herbs." Melissa said vaguely. Sydney took her words to heart and wondered what exactly she was missing. The nine herbs, why hadn't she heard of it before, why hadn't she-

Melissa produced a syringe loaded with the very same green goop that Derek had used on her and Sam. Before she could object to what the nurse was about to do, she peeled the cover off the long, sharp needle and jammed the pointed tip into the center of Peter's chest.

Sydney leapt to her feet and watched on, her stomach knotting as Peter began to convulse on the bed. She hated what she was witnessing but she wasn't about to get too close, in case he started to flail. God only knows what he would do if she got too close and she didn't want to wind up injured yet again, not when she was feeling as good as she already did.

Her eyes were glued to Peter, his fists clenched against the sheets and his body continued to move back and forth. It was when a green froth erupted from between his lips that Sydney finally moved her eyes away, not wanting to watch it anymore. She hated seeing him in pain, especially when it was more pain than he had been dealing with before the other two females had waltzed into his room.

"Think its working?" Malia asked, drawing Sydney's attention back to the man in the bed.

"Should be- looks painful enough." Melissa countered.

Peter's skin cracked and he continued to thrash, all the while struggling to breathe easy. When he molted, much like a snake shedding its own skin, she widened her eyes, staring at him, mystified by what was happening to him. He was healing, this was actually working, holy hell, it was _actually_ working! Malia and Melissa were legitimately helping him.

"Jesus." Sydney murmured and hesitantly extended her hand down towards Peter, slipping it between his fingers, which were now flawlessly healed and looked like they had never been burned to start with. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze in response and brought himself up into a sitting position, Melissa crossing her arms over her chest as she took in a quick look of Peter and his newly healed body. "That was something I can never un-see."

"No kidding." Malia grumbled in addition.

"Get dressed." Melissa commanded and slipped out of the plastic sheeting hanging all around them. Sydney turned her attention to the nurse and waited as she returned with a small stack of clothes in her hand before tossing them onto the end of the bed at Peter's feet.

Waving Malia off, the teenager followed Melissa over to the double doors and the two of them turned their backs to Sydney and Peter. Peter moved the blankets off his body and threw his legs over the side of the bed, giving Sydney the chance to nab the sweatpants off the bed, handing them to him as he stepped into the legs, planting his feet on the ground. She squatted down with a pair of socks in her hand and worked away at tucking his toes into the thick material while Peter managed to pull a drab shirt over his head, struggling to get his arms into the sleeves.

She knew he was still in pain, she could sense it, and when she stood up straight, looking into his eyes, she knew that it would be a little while longer until he was completely back to full strength- but this was definitely a start.

"You look better." She remarked in a teasing tone and he cocked his head at her, forcing a soft smile onto his face. "I _was_ working on something to help you too, just so you know. She wasn't going to leave you to die, not without me doing something about it."

"I trust you." Peter whispered and lifted his hand up, gently setting his palm against the side of her face. She leaned in to his touch and let her eyes fall shut, basking in the moment. He ghosted his fingers over her smooth skin and when his hand dropped away, she offered him her hands instead.

He took them in his and hauled himself to his feet, pausing only to grab the black sweater off the end of the bed. Once he was fully dressed, minus a pair of shoes, he leaned against her and she felt him snake his arm around her shoulders. Sydney melted into his chest and let out a soft sigh of relief.

He was alive, he was okay and now he was hers to protect. She could do whatever she needed to do knowing that Peter wasn't confined to the bed anymore.

"I love you, so damn much." She murmured, her forehead resting against his shoulder. She felt his one hand move up her back slowly and then back down.

"I know. I love you too."

"Good." She gave a nod of her head, leaning back to get a better look at him, gently touching his jaw and feeling how smooth and warm his skin was. It was nice to have him back to normal, it was a relief to know that he was going to make it. Even if she hadn't exactly enjoyed watching him squirm and thrash, she was thankful that it had worked. "Let's go."

Peter kept his one arm around her and she helped him walk to the doors, meeting up with Malia and Melissa. Melissa tucked herself under his other arm while Malia took the lead, walking through the doors while Sydney and the nurse held Peter on his feet. They made their way down the hall, leaving his room empty, and headed right for the elevator.

Malia hit the button on the outside and the four of them waited in silence for the doors to open. Once they did, Sydney moved first, maneuvering herself so that she was inside the elevator, Peter still supported by her on one side and Melissa on the other. When Malia was inside, she hit the button for the floor they wanted and Sydney leaned her head against his shoulder, expecting him to rest his chin on her.

She didn't feel anything and when she peered up at him, she took note that Peter was looking over at Melissa, his eyes locked on the older woman, a smug smirk forming on his lips.

"You know we never did have that second date." Peter said.

"Fuck's sake." Sydney muttered and when she caught Melissa's eye, she knew exactly what her next move was, and she certainly wasn't about to stop her.

Melissa tossed Peter's arm away from her at the very same time that Sydney did, sending Peter crashing down to the floor of the elevator. His body crumpled and collided with the bottom of the box they were in and when he looked up at Sydney, she was fighting back a smirk, as was Melissa.

"You deserved that." Malia piped up.

"You probably deserved worse." Sydney chuckled and offered her hand out to Melissa, who promptly slapped her palm in a high-five.

Okay, so maybe it was nice to have Melissa as an ally, maybe she could deal with her and Malia, after all, it wasn't like Peter was totally innocent.

He didn't get to where he was by being nice.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts on Sydney working with Malia?_**

 ** _Also, we're approaching the end of this rather quickly and I'm curious as to what you guys are thinking about 6b...ideas, things you want to see, should I just stop before we even get there?_**

 ** _Thank you to those that are still reading this, you guys mean the world to me_**


	21. Chapter 21

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 21** **:**

"Take the next left, cut over to the highway, and then don't stop." Peter instructed, all the while Malia kept her eyes firmly on the road, her hands on the steering wheel and her focus on getting to the rift.

Sydney hadn't said a word since getting into the backseat and aside from stretching her body out so that her feet nearly touched the door on the opposite side of the car, she hadn't really moved either. This whole entire situation was a little off-putting and the sooner they could get it over with, the sooner she could get Peter back to the house, which meant that maybe she'd be able to rest easy for the first night since…well since she had left Peter in Eichen House all those many months ago.

"We have a deal. I'm not leaving without Stiles." Malia countered.

Sydney rolled her eyes at the girl's words and wondered just how far she was really, truly willing to go. If Malia really, _really_ wanted, there wasn't anything stopping her from doing what Sydney had done and using herself as bait. Maybe Malia could bring Stiles through the rift, but then again, she had watched as the human teenager who had tried to help them in the train station turned to dust at the tiniest bit of contact.

Even Sam, who had been sandwiched between her and Peter, had suffered some burns, there was no way to get Stiles out without some part of him coming in to contact with the rift.

"You're so very loyal, Malia and that is an overrated quality." Peter remarked and Sydney turned her head to face the back of his seat and reached a hand out, setting her palm on his shoulder as best as she could from her position. When he seemed to relax at her touch, she couldn't help but smile.

Peter was a lot of things, but she knew he loved her, and now that he was walking on his own, and his body was healed right up, she wasn't going to let anything get to him again.

"I want to save Stiles too." Sydney murmured and shifted her butt against the seat. She turned her hips towards the front of the car and placed her feet on the floor, leaning in closer to Peter. She slipped her hand down so that her palm was resting against his chest and when his hand came to rest over top of hers, she let out a soft sigh. "Can you please help us save Stiles?"

Peter titled his head sideways but didn't say a word in response. She wasn't entirely sure what his plans were but she knew that if he wanted to remain in her good books, then he would have to do what she wanted. Of course, Peter didn't necessarily want to be in her good books, and there was nothing stopping him from running away on his own to escape whatever fate awaited Beacon Hills.

Malia slowed the car down and pulled off the road, creeping forward in the vehicle until she reached the chained off entrance to the preserve. Good, yes, this looked familiar, at least Sydney could recall that her and Sam had ended up somewhere in the preserve, maybe they hadn't come through the rift very far from Peter, or maybe he had wound up way farther away than anyone could've anticipated.

The car came to a complete stop and the young werecoyote put the gear shift into park before turning the vehicle off. Sydney made a move to get out of the car but before she could pull her hand away from Peter, he gripped it hard and held it against his chest. She could feel the steady beating of his heart through his chest and she knew that he wasn't afraid.

Whatever they were doing, whatever was going to happen, he wasn't scared, which only served to put her on edge. What exactly was he willing to do for her? What was he willing to sacrifice in order to keep Sydney, and Bruin, safe?

"You know what I'm most excited for?" Sydney quipped and shot Malia a quick glance, silently instructing her to get out of the car without them. She just needed a moment with Peter, she needed a moment just between them to make sure they were on the same page.

"What are you most excited for?" Peter countered. "Seeing Stiles again?"

"No." Sydney shook her head with a soft chuckle and rested her forehead against the back of his seat. "Not even a little bit. I mean, yeah, I want to help save Stiles, but there's something really simple that I'm excited for now that you're out of the hospital."

"Okay, and what's that?" Peter asked, turning his head slightly so that he could just barely see her out of the corner of his eye. He loosened the hold he had on her hand and Sydney slipped it away from him, sucking in a breath before answering.

"I'm most excited to be able to sleep next to you again." She answered honestly and she listened to him shuffling. When she moved her forehead away from his seat, she caught the look in his eye and couldn't help but smile. Why was he so confused by her statement, why was he looking at her like she was crazy? "I used to get cold sweats at night, and I'd hardly be able to sleep like at all."

"Do you still?" He pressed and extended his hand towards her, gingerly running his fingers along her jaw.

"Not so much anymore, but I think that's because I have Bruin. She keeps me distracted enough, but before she came along…god it was hell." Sydney explained. "Night after night I'd wake up from nightmares, if I even managed to get to sleep at all, then one of the twins would lay with me until I calmed down."

"I'm…I'm sorry." Peter apologized and she forced a smile at him.

"You're back now though, so I don't have to sleep by myself anymore." She pointed out and Peter pressed his lips together, contemplating his response. "Unless…do you not _want_ to sleep with me anymore?"

He shook his head immediately and settled his eyes on her, taking in the fearful look on her face. He had been gone for so long, he had been without her for such a long time that he wasn't sure how to act around her. He loved her, he would always love her, but they had Bruin, and Sydney had gone through so much without him. It had been such a long time since someone else had suffered from his actions but Sydney had, she had dealt with so much while he had been gone.

He owed her, he owed her so much, and he didn't even know where to start to make things up to her. Part of Peter was surprised that she even _wanted_ him back.

"What happened to my apartment?" Peter questioned and Sydney narrowed her eyes in on him.

"What?"

"I was gone for a long time, I just want to know what happened to my apartment."

"Really?" She cocked her head sideways, confusion evident in her tone. "That's what you're concerned about is 'what happened to my apartment'?"

"I'm curious." He offered with a nonchalant shrug.

She let out a huff and threw herself back against the seat, crossing her arms over her chest like a pouting child. What the hell was wrong with him? What was going through his head to the point where he was more concerned with his apartment than going home with her?

"I emptied it all out and put it on the market." She grumbled and when she noticed his eyes widening in shock, she let out another huff and lifted one hand, her palm facing him. "Kidding, fuck. I talked to the building managed and got all your mail forward to my house in Colorado, I paid every bill, every month's rent, and even stayed there when I came back to visit Beacon Hills before Bruin came along. It's yours if you really want it."

He stared at her, studying her, wondering why she had done all that for him. She was too good to him, too good _for_ him and he knew that she probably deserved better; yet for whatever reason, she had chosen to be with him, she had fallen in love with him.

What the hell had he done to deserve a woman as good as Sydney Vance?

"We could stay there." Peter supplied and she flinched at his words.

"What are you talking about?"

"You and I, we could stay in my apartment- with Bruin of course."

"Or we could stay in my house, where all my stuff is, where Bruin's stuff is…Peter, what's wrong with you staying with me?"

"And your pack." He threw out and she sat up straight on the seat, moving her hands so that they rested against her thighs. "Your pack is there, you have the twins, you have Charlie, and you expect me to just waltz into the house without anyone harboring ill feelings towards me?"

"They're _my_ pack, they'll do what _I_ say. Charlie's harmless to you anyways, she saw what I went through without you, she knows how happy I am to have you back- as for the twins, I don't know that they ever had any sort of vendetta against you. In all honestly, they've done worse things, plus they're as loyal to me as they come. No one's going to bother you."

Peter took her words to heart and gave her a nod of acknowledgement, yet he didn't respond with words. She fought back a growl of frustration and opened the back door, setting her feet on the ground and climbing out of the car, Peter following her lead. When they were standing outside the car, the doors all shut, the two of them looked to Malia.

"I could hear every word." She confessed and Sydney snorted at the teenager's honestly.

"Yeah well, it's fine." Sydney replied and waved her hand towards the entrance to the preserve. "Peter, lead the way."

Peter leaned against the side of the car though and didn't dare move a muscle. He was focused solely on Malia, the smug look on his face that was all too familiar to Sydney was plastered on his face by this point, a look that she wanted to slap right off of him.

"You know, I was in pretty bad shape when you found me. I don't really have a clear picture of where I was." Peter called out to Malia, who was moving closer and closer to the chain, and the sign that said 'no entry after dark'. Oh well, it wasn't like Sydney was much of a rule follower anyways, plus people were disappearing faster than all get out, she wasn't about to stop and pay attention to some sign.

"I marked the territory." Malia turned back to face Peter, who shot her a curious look. Malia let out a huff and rolled her eyes, "visually, I marked it visually. But we didn't see where you came out."

Before Sydney had a chance to question Malia's methods of marking her territory, she moved forward and finally Peter followed her lead. He didn't rush to catch up to them, in fact, he was almost treating this like some leisurely stroll through the forest without a care in the world.

"It's a supernatural rift, Malia, it's not the Golden Gate Bridge. I doubt we can even see it, let alone get through. This is a horrible waste of time." Peter argued.

"No matter what you say, I'm with her right now." Sydney remarked and closed the distance between her and Malia, coming up behind the young teenager and giving her an encouraging look.

"You promised me, on your death bed." Malia threw out and Sydney shook her head with an amused smile. Like that was going to get Peter to side with them.

"I just saw a kid get burned alive trying to escape the Hunt. You try and save Stiles, he's going to die the same way, humans can't get through." Peter yelled at them, yet he seemed to be following their trail, around the chain and onto the rough path of the preserve. Sydney fell in step next to Malia but threw a look over her shoulder at Peter.

She knew all too well what happened to humans when they tried to go through the rift, but she was willing to help Malia, hopefully the girl had a better idea of how to save Stiles than she did. Sydney didn't want to try and bring him through the portal, but she wasn't about to agree with Peter in front of Malia, especially not when they were all looking to help Stiles.

"Then we'll find another way to get him out." Malia hollered back at Peter and Sydney couldn't help but smile at her tenacity. "But first we have to get in."

When Sydney paused to peer back at Peter, she took note that he had stopped walking. He was looking at the back of Malia with a curious expression and Sydney paused too, waiting for him, knowing that she'd rather be next to him than away from him again. It had been too long since she had laid eyes on a healthy Peter, who was also free from the Wild Hunt, and she wasn't going to take her time with him for granted.

"You have no self-preservation instincts; how are you my daughter?" Peter questioned and when Sydney closed in on his, she latched her hand onto his and gave it a rough tug.

"She's wickedly stubborn though." Sydney remarked with a smirk. "Wonder who she got _that_ from?"

Without giving him a chance to respond, Sydney pulled on his arm and felt him fall in stride behind her. She slowed her pace ever so slightly and when he was side by side with her, she shot him a knowing look, the two of them falling silent as they followed Malia, who had apparently marked the spot (visually of course) where she had found Peter.

If the Ghost Riders weren't a constantly lingering threat, then Sydney might've actually enjoyed the walk through the preserve. It was a relatively nice night out and she enjoyed the fact that Peter was with her, even if he was being a bit of a spoil sport. What did they really have to lose at this point, why was he so adamant about not helping Stiles?

"I think you need to admit that you have an unhealthy attachment to Stiles." Peter spoke up and Sydney gave his hand a rough squeeze. "You've got to let him go."

"Peter." Sydney hissed, her voice just short of warning.

Malia paused in her walking just long enough to shoot a glare his way, followed by a menacing growl. Sydney wouldn't admit it out loud but she was starting to like the way that Malia responded to Peter. She wasn't taking any of his shit and she certainly wasn't doing anything that he wanted her to do. She was her own person and Sydney could respect that, even if she didn't like the idea that she was, in fact, Peter's daughter.

"Would you please try to behave like a human?" Peter chastised but Malia didn't even miss a beat.

"I need Stiles for that." Malia countered.

"Why?" Peter pressed. "Is he your human crutch?"

"He's my anchor." Malia retorted, continuing to hike along the worn path.

"I'll get you a new anchor." Peter replied, rather calmly considering.

"You can't just _get_ her a new anchor, this isn't _Hush Little Baby_ , 'daddy can't buy her a mockingbird' and _you_ certainly can't get her a new anchor." Sydney protested. "Give the girl a break."

"He's not coming back." Peter argued. "He was hunted, he got caught."

Malia stopped in her movements and rounded on her heels, "you don't believe that. You risked your life to bring us his keys."

His keys? Peter had brought Malia Stiles' keys? Okay, that was a new piece of news to her, but hell, it didn't surprise her. Peter would've wanted to leave the train station with as much stuff as he could, even if it didn't belong to him, right? It sort of made sense, at least if he had brought back something, then there was proof that Stiles had been there, which would make him more believable if he ever needed something from Malia.

"I risked my life to escape the Hunt. Not to reunite sentimental teenagers." Peter shot back.

"Would you have left without me?" Sydney stopped walking immediately and pulled her hand away from his. He looked from Malia, to Sydney and then settled his gaze on Malia. "Peter?"

With a hesitant movement, he turned back to face her and ever so slightly shook his head no. What did that mean though? Was he saying 'no don't talk about this now' or was he admitting that he wouldn't have left without her? God, she was so frustrated with him and she was starting to miss the Peter who had been confined to the hospital bed- at least _that_ Peter depended on her.

"You wanted us to know about Stiles and Canaan. You were warning us." Malia broke in and Sydney let out a tiny little growl before planting her hands on her hips. Malia moved forward though, ignoring the alpha's malcontent. Peter lifted his hands up in surrender at Sydney and took off in a brisk pace behind the girl that was his daughter.

Sydney threw her head back, took in the sight of the moon glowing brightly in the darkened sky, and then carried on after them. She had come this far, she certainly wasn't going to just turn around and leave because Peter was making her mad. Hell, he lived to make her mad, and maybe she had lost the ability to put up with it since he had been out of her life for as long as she had.

She just needed to stick by him and remind him that she was there for him, no matter what, and no matter how much he threatened to push her away.

After a few more seconds of walking, Malia slowed her pace down, pointed her one finger towards the ground and came to a stop in a small clearing. Sydney held back and watched as Peter looked around at where Malia had stopped.

She took a deep inhale and let the scent of a burnt Peter fill her nostrils. It was faint but it was there and she could just make it out over the fresh scent of Peter standing in front of her. This was the place, this is precisely where Malia had claimed to have found him, and if Sydney hadn't had to worry about Sam when she had come through the rift, she would've been out searching until she located the man herself.

"This is where we found you." Malia stated.

"Like I said, there's nothing here." Peter shot back at her and Sydney brought her arms up, crossing them over her chest. She let her eyes fall shut and felt the moon against her skin.

It was nice, so nice, and she felt an eerie sense of calm flood through her. She had Peter back, she was back in Beacon Hills with her pack, and they were so close to figuring out a way to get Stiles back. They had to be on the right track, everything was falling in to place for her.

"You're not even looking." Malia barked, pulling Sydney out of her head and back to the task at hand. She forced her alpha red irises out and took a step forward, trying to get between Malia and Peter. If she could just gain control of the situation, if she could just-

"You can't just poke around and expect to find a supernatural train station!" Peter argued and Sydney took a step forward, but froze in her tracks.

What the hell was that? What the hell were the sound of horses doing all the way out here? Jesus Christ, and if she could hear them, did that mean-

Peter slowly turned around to face away from Malia and she could hear his heart pick up in pace. Okay, yes, he could definitely hear them too, but what exactly did that mean for them, what the hell were they supposed to do now?

She wasn't going to get taken, _again_ ;she wasn't going to leave Bruin and she certainly wasn't going to just _let_ the Ghost Riders do whatever it is they were planning to do. She had escaped from the train station once already and she certainly wasn't going to do it again, plus she wasn't going to let Peter get away from her.

"Do you hear that?" Peter quipped in a low tone and Sydney nodded her head in response, her movements almost robotic. She stepped around Malia and took up a stance in front of her, preparing to fight if it came down to it. Malia could run away, she was quick enough, plus if Sydney and Peter were both there to serve as a distraction, the werecoyote would _have_ to be safe, right?

"It's them?" Malia asked and remained standing stark still. Sydney dropped her head down to the ground and when she lifted her chin up, she could feel the sharp points of her canines biting in to her tongue.

This is what she was made for, she was a born fighter, she had been fighting for her life ever since she was a child. She loved it, she loved the challenge, and with her and Peter together, she knew they stood a decent chance at fighting them off, depending on how many Ghost Riders there were of course.

"Yeah and judging by the sound, we don't have a lot of time." Peter stated.

"What?" Sydney cocked her head forward and forced her claws out, taking yet another step forward.

"Yeah, what…for what?" Malia added.

"For you two to run." Peter countered

"No." Sydney scoffed and felt her body tense. She craned her neck and felt the glowing of her eyes, she was the alpha, she was the stronger one at this point in time, fuck Peter trying to be a hero. She was here to fight.

"You're leaving me?" Malia posed. "You're leaving _us_?"

"I'm saving you." Peter retorted.

"But if we can hear them, it must be close." Malia tried to argue, she was desperate to stay and figure out a way to help save Stiles. If Sydney was honest with herself, she was ready to stand by Malia too, there were three of them…they had an opportunity.

"There'll be another chance." Peter barked at them both and Sydney made a move to step closer to him, to stand next to him, but he rounded on her, glaring at her. She blinked away her alpha reds, her claws and teeth retracted and she let out a growl in Peter's direction. What the hell was he trying to prove? "Go now. Malia, run! Go! Sydney, get out of here!"

Malia latched on to Sydney's wrist and tugged on her arm, pulling her along behind her as she broke out into a run. Sydney resisted at first but she let Malia pull her along and eventually fell in stride next to her, but she wasn't just going to leave Peter, was she?

After everything she had been through, after being left all alone while Peter had been gone, she wasn't just going to let him take on the Ghost Riders by himself. She was going to protect him, she was going to make sure that her baby girl had another chance to see her father.

Sydney ripped her arm free from Malia's grasp and turned right back around. She could hear Malia's retreating footsteps and knew that she hadn't stopped running. Oh well, Sydney didn't care, she just wanted to get to Peter, she _needed_ to get to Peter. She wasn't going to lose him again.

Letting out a ferocious growl that would rival that of a real wolf, she surged forward and felt her own heart pounding against her chest, adrenaline coursing through her body. This was her chance, this was her shot and nothing, not a damn thing, was going to stand in her way.

She dropped her head down and forced herself to shift but this time it felt different, it felt off. What the…what the hell was happening to her?!

Leaping into the air, Sydney felt her entire body in pain as her bones felt like they were shattering and ripping away from one another. The searing, burning pain only lasted for a few seconds before her bones settled back into their joints, except…no, no she didn't feel right.

It didn't hurt, but it certainly didn't feel right.

She could see Peter, she could feel her red eyes, but when she hit the ground, she was utterly shocked at the sight of paws. What the hell!?

Her feet…were paws? Her feet were paws! Holy hell, was this what is was like to go full wolf, was she really turning into a _wolf_?

Sydney ran faster than she had ever run before and she surged into the clearing, running around and coming to a stop at Peter's feet. He looked down at the animal in front of him and took a step back, fearful of what might happen to him.

The animal peered back at him and when he finally met the animal's eyes, the familiar red irises were present but what he wasn't expecting was the most beautiful face of a wolf he had ever laid eyes on. Was this…was this Sydney?

Had she learned to shift completely while he had been gone?

His feet moved towards her and she dropped her head in submission. In Peter's mind, she was no doubt an alpha at this point. There were very few alphas that he knew of who could do what she had just done. Derek was the most recent one, and one of the only ones he had seen with his own eyes, until that moment. There were plenty of others, pictures in books, rare sightings via other werewolves. He had seen Deucalion's 'demon wolf' transformation from the rafters in the distillery and he knew what his own alpha form looked like, mostly wolf but with a mutant gene which caused him to be much, much larger than the sleek black and white werewolf in front of him, protecting him.

The wolf circled his legs momentarily, the paws leaving faint marks in the ground as she did so. His feet remained glued to the ground but he twisted his upper body around, watching her as she continued to pace around his legs, all the while his ears were tuned in, listening to the approaching Ghost Rider.

Peter bent down ever so slightly, holding his hand out towards her, and she stopped walking, moving her wolfed out face towards his knees, pressing her muzzle against the back of his legs. Peter squatted down, meeting her at eye level as he smiled at her, not able to hold back the sheer excitement of her new alpha form.

His fingers ran through the fur on her head, scratching behind her ears and moving down her back but Sydney rounded on the approaching sound of horses, forcing his hand away from her. She let out a growl and he forced his shoulders back, drawing out his own shift, which was much less impressive than hers.

Two of the Ghost Riders erupted from the trees and Sydney took a slinking step forward. She continued to growl and even let out a threatening howl, knowing that she was the only thing standing between them and Peter. She wasn't about to let them take him again, she wasn't going to let them take either one of them.

Without hesitating for a second, she lunged forward and snarled at the feet of the horses, hoping to scare them off. If she could strike fear into the animals which the Ghost Riders rode, then she could maybe get them to turn around.

The one rider drew his gun and pointed it directly at Peter, but Sydney kept lunging for the horse's feet. She knew she had to do something and if this was all on her, then she wasn't going to give in. She was an alpha werewolf, she was a full on wolf, she could handle this, she could protect her pack.

A shiver ran down her spine at the sound of Peter growling along with her and she knew she wasn't in this alone. He was perfectly capable of helping her fight the two Ghost Riders off, he was just as capable as she was-

Just as suddenly as they had come, the two Ghost Riders spun around and galloped away, leaving her and Peter all alone. What the hell!?

Where were they going and why did they just leave?

Sydney plunked her butt down on the forest floor and simply sat there, watching and listening to the Ghost Riders retreating. She jerked her entire body at the feeling of a hand on her back and when she turned in the direction of the touch, she instantly relaxed and stayed calm while Peter circled around her.

He came to stand in front of her and when he dropped down into a squat, she raised her head the tiniest little bit and met his eyes, blinking back her alpha reds. He slowly leaned forward, her cold, black nose just inches from his. Without warning, he jerked his head to the side and moved to place a kiss between her eyes, the wolf letting out a whine at his actions.

Pulling away from him, she took a few steps back and let her eyes fall shut, her mind wandering to Peter and all of the wonderful moments they had shared together.

He stood up to his full height and watched her as she shifted back into Sydney the human. She was quick to wrap her arms around her now naked body and when Peter's lips curled upwards into a smirk, she let out a low growl in his direction, yet he just seemed to be staring at her in complete awe.

"Maybe you could loan me your sweater until I get a chance to find my own clothes?" She baited and Peter crossed his arms over his chest, taking a few steps towards her and closing the distance between them.

"You're making a great argument for me coming home with you." Peter teased and reached a hand out, gripping her bare hip with his fingers. She tensed at his touch but leaned forward, collapsing into his hold and letting him hug her tight. "When did you learn how to do that?"

"What?" She murmured and settled into his chest, feeling the warmth of his body against hers. "You mean go full wolf?"

"Yes, when did you learn how to do that?"

"Just now." She answered with a small sigh.

"What?" His eyes widened at her admission and she curled into his chest further, feeling the chill from the night air biting at her skin.

"I was coming back to help you and I just…it happened. It felt really weird too- now can I have your sweater _please_?"

Peter let go of her and peeled the garment from his body, holding it out for her. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and hugged it against her naked form before turning to face him, a smile on her lips.

"Let's go, before they decide to come back." Peter suggested. "I'll even help you find your clothes."

"Thanks." She snorted. "Let's go home."

"Yes, _home_." He bowed his head and slipped his arm around her waist, holding her tight.

He would go wherever she led him, and there wasn't anything that would change that.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Were you guys surprised that Sydney went full wolf there?_**


	22. Chapter 22

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 22** **:**

Sydney was exhausted by the time she mounted the front steps to her house. Peter was following along behind her, though his pace was much slower as he looked around, taking it all in. This was her home, the place where she lived with her pack, the place that kept their daughter safe, so what reason did he have not to waltz in through the front door with her without hesitation.

She knew that he wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of being outnumbered by her betas, but it wasn't like she'd let them hurt him, not unless he hurt her first. Charlie would be nice, and worst case scenario, she'd be nosy, asking Peter way too many questions. The twins would do what they were told and she figured that they'd disappear into the basement for the night, giving Sydney and Peter their space.

Peter didn't know her pack like she did though, and she understood why he was a little cautious as he approached the front door. She paused, leaning against the doorframe and crossed her arms over her chest, watching him, studying him carefully as he continued to look around at her newly built home.

"The last time I saw this place, it was a pile of ash." Peter remarked and Sydney's lips curled upwards into a knowing smile. It had been months since he had been anywhere other than Eichen House or the train station, this was all foreign to him and she could only imagine how surreal it felt.

"Restored to its former glory, and, as a bonus, there's no more blood stains on the kitchen wall." She teased and pushed herself off the wall, away from the house. Closing in on him, she slipped an arm around his back and sidled up next to him, resting her head on his shoulder and letting out a soft sigh as he held her right back.

"What a shame, I can only imagine how much that would've increased the value if you had kept the stains." Peter said sarcastically and she snorted at him in amusement.

"Come on, let's go inside." She urged him and led him towards the front door. She tried it without unlocking it, hoping that her pack had left it open for her, and when it opened with ease, she let a small smile take over on her face. She ushered Peter through the door and gently shut it behind her, throwing the deadbolt across and securely locking it.

Flipping her shoes off, Peter quickly doing the same, she continued moving into the house, leading him into the living room and looking around at her pack. Charlie was curled up on one end of the couch with her homework open and stretched out across the arm and cushion next to her while each of the twins occupied the arm chairs across from her. Bruin was firmly grasped in Ethan's hold, a bottle perched at her lips.

"Charlie," Sydney waved a hand in the beta's direction, and then motioned towards Peter, "this is Peter. Peter, this is Charlie."

"Oh he smells nervous." Charlie chuckled and lowered her pencil down, sandwiching it between the pages of her notebook. She set her sights on Peter and when he glared at her, she raised her hands in surrender but shook her head. "Not going to lie Syd, I was expecting him to look a lot older, and a lot more…undead, you know, since he's practically a zombie."

"What?" Peter barked at the female beta, all the while Sydney fought back the urge to laugh next to him. He tore his eyes away from the strange girl and locked them onto Sydney instead. "A zombie?"

"You did manage to bring yourself back from the dead." Sydney pointed out. "Calling you a zombie isn't technically wrong."

"What the hell else have you been telling her?" Peter narrowed his eyes in on his mate but Sydney didn't even flinch.

"About you? Oh, a lot." Sydney gave him a nod of her head and stepped away from him. She wandered over to Ethan and when Bruin was offered to her, she took her baby with ease and continued on feeding her without a hitch at all. Sydney then backtracked and lowered her butt down on the cushion in the middle of the couch, Charlie scurrying to move her homework out of the way to give her more space. "Sit down Peter, they won't bite."

"Unless Syd tells us too." Charlie beamed and Sydney was quick to shoot her a glare of her own. "What, okay, Jesus. I'll behave."

"Where's Sam?" Sydney quipped, peering around the room and taking note that there was a total lack of little blonde girl.

"She's up sleeping in my room." Charlie answered nonchalantly. "We made her sort of a little bed in the corner and when I was up there earlier she was laying down. Before I came down here, she fell asleep and we all figured it was best to leave her alone for right now."

"Fair enough. What about Isaac?" Sydney countered, taking her beta's response to heart. "Did him and Derek-"

"They left about twenty minutes ago to head back to the loft." Aidan answered, effectively cutting her off. "We were just waiting for you to get home so that we could all go to bed."

Sydney nodded her head in understanding and sucked in a breath, peering down at Bruin and then up at Peter, who was still standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room. She motioned towards the vacant patch of couch next to her and without anything else needing to be said, Peter made quick work of taking a seat and scooting ever so close to Sydney.

Charlie leaned towards her alpha too and stole a hard look at Peter, taking in the sight of the man that she knew her alpha loved. So this was the infamous Peter Hale, this was Derek's uncle, this was Bruin's father, _this_ was Sydney's mate. She wasn't going to admit it out loud but he was much less intimidating than she was anticipating, but then again, she knew that before tonight he had been barbequed and left for dead.

"To be fair though, we weren't anticipating you bringing Peter home _with_ you." Ethan stated. "I was thinking you'd be coming home alone."

"Me too." Sydney nodded her head. "But no, see, Melissa and Malia were there at the hospital and they needed Peter's help so Melissa fixed him. Then we went out to find where Peter came through and while we were out there, the Ghost Riders showed up-"

"And Sydney here shifted into a wolf." Peter cut her off, leveling her with a look of curiosity. "A full blown wolf."

Charlie's eyes widened in shock, as did the twins, and when the female alpha looked around at her pack, she wondered what they were all thinking. She was a relatively powerful alpha, was it so farfetched to think that she'd be able to go full wolf at some point? Or were they looking at her for another reason, like they _knew_ she was capable of it and they were just waiting for the right time?

Sydney shied away from their gazes and instead looked down at Bruin, who was contently sucking away at the formula in her bottle. With a slight shake of her head, and a sharp intake of breath, she cautiously lifted her head up and looked over at Charlie first, but the look of sheer and utter shock on her face hadn't dissipated at all.

"Syd, did you really…did you really shift into a wolf?" Aidan's voice tore her away from Charlie's gaze and when she looked over at him, she gave him a wavering nod of her head. "No shit."

"How?" Charlie pressed and Sydney remained silent, offering up a shrug in response instead of daring to use her words to respond. She wasn't entirely sure what to say, or what sort of answer Charlie was looking for, but at that moment, she hadn't thought too much of it.

It wasn't like her pack would've had any idea, not since her and Peter had managed to gather up her clothes in the forest before reaching the car parked outside the chain to the preserve. To them, it wasn't like she'd appear any different than when she had left the house.

"I just…I don't know, I just did." Sydney answered, moving the bottle away from Bruin as the tiny baby finished with her food.

Ethan hopped up to his feet and took the nearly empty bottle before leaving the room, heading into the kitchen. She adjusted her hold on Bruin and cradled her up against her shoulder as she ran her hand soothingly over her back. The baby turned her attention towards Peter though and stared at him, Sydney scooting a little bit closer to him.

When Bruin's little fist moved out towards Peter, she cocked her head sideways but handed the girl over to her father. Without a sound from the girl, she settled in to his hold and let out a contented coo. Okay, well that was hardly fair, he had just shown up, this was the first time that Bruin would've seen him without his skin being charred.

Sydney had been the one with her since her first day in the world, in fact, the twins would've been looking after Bruin longer than Peter, so much for loyalty, even if it was from a baby. It was clear that Bruin wanted nothing more than to curl up in the safe, firm hold of her father. If Sydney was honest with herself, it didn't sound so bad to her either.

"What were you thinking about when it happened?" Aidan quipped, breaking the blanket of silence that had fallen over them. "Did something happen to you to push you over the edge?"

"I just kept thinking about how I wasn't going to lose you again." Sydney confessed and locked her eyes with Peter's. His lips pulled at the corner and he flashed her the tiniest of smirks before turning his attention back to the baby in his arms. "They weren't going to take you away from me again."

"Did you learn anything more about the Ghost Riders tonight?" Aidan pressed, desperate to figure out a weakness of their enemy. Sydney shook her head no again and leaned her body against Peter's side, letting out a sigh of frustration as she let her eyes fall shut. "Did they put up much of a fight?"

"No." Sydney shook her head.

"Really?" Charlie tilted her head sideways. "So you and Peter faced off against how many?"

"Two, but they didn't actually _do_ anything." Peter answered. "They just sort of turned around and left us."

"Huh, okay." Charlie gave them all a nod of her head.

She rose up to her feet and began gathering her stuff, shoving her books and notebooks into her backpack, which had been leaning against the side of the couch. No one said a word as she cleaned up and as soon as she was done, she zipped her bag shut and hoisted it up onto her shoulder.

Sydney reached a hand out and gently took hold of Charlie's wrist, holding her in front of her as she studied the beta. Poor Charlie, Sydney had no idea what all of this was doing to her and now there was a new pack member for them all to get used to, well, assuming Peter could play nice after all.

The idea of people disappearing still bothered Sydney, and she knew that the kids at the high school were disappearing at an alarming rate, plus the teachers and other staff. How much longer would it be until Charlie was the only one left, if she managed to escape the clutches of the Ghost Riders at all. Oh god, no, no Charlie couldn't get taken, none of her pack could get taken, but at this point, wasn't it almost inevitable. For right now, she just wanted to make sure that Charlie was okay, that she wasn't just about ready to give up.

If the Ghost Riders were going to come after them again, then they were going to have to come up with some sort of plan. Stiles was still missing, but at least Sydney knew where he was, except he wasn't of any help to them stuck in the train station.

"I think I'm going to head to bed." Charlie announced and bent down, giving her alpha a comforting hug. When she pulled away, Sydney kept her hand grasped on Charlie's arm. "Syd?"

"How many people are left at school?" Sydney asked in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Uh, not a lot."

"Okay. Your dad might not like it but I want you to stay home tomorrow." Sydney stated. "At least that way I can keep an eye on you."

"We should seriously considering leaving Beacon Hills." Peter piped up, Sydney shooting him a glare. "It's the easiest solution. The Ghost Riders are trying, essentially, to clear out the town, therefore, if we're not _in_ town, then we can't be taken."

She huffed at him but released her hold on Charlie, who hesitated for a few seconds before retreating around the end of the couch, pausing just before she reached the edge of the living room.

"It was nice meeting you Peter." She gave him a nod.

"If I were you Charlie, I'd pack my things."

Charlie didn't say anything in response, instead, she merely left the room, leaving them all in silence as she headed up to her bedroom. Sydney was the next one to stand up and when she did, she extended her hand out to Peter, but he brushed her off, standing up on his own accord and waiting for Sydney's lead.

Aidan remained in the chair while Sydney followed the same path that Charlie had taken not even a minute earlier, peeking behind her to make sure that Peter was still doing okay with Bruin in his arms. It looked almost natural to her, seeing Peter with their daughter, but it was still a sight to behold. This was the first time since she had been born that he was holding her without his skin looking like he had been lit on fire.

It was a nice scene and as soon as she had a free second, she was going to snap a picture of her mate and her baby together, it was too cute not to.

Hitting the top of the stairs, she kept walking and made her way into her bedroom, taking a seat on the end of the bed while Peter followed her lead, even dropping down to sit next to her. She turned sideways to look at him but he was too busy watching Bruin, looking into her wide brown eyes.

"I'm glad you're here." Sydney murmured and gently rested her shin on his shoulder as she too looked down at Bruin, who seemed to be perfectly content in Peter's hold.

"She really is beautiful." Peter remarked, his eyes never leaving Bruin.

"She is." Sydney bowed her head in agreement. "She's incredible."

"She looks like you."

Sydney let out a scoff, "she looks like every other baby out there."

Peter shook his head at her but didn't dare responding. Sydney slipped an arm around his middle and hugged him tight, taking in a deep whiff of his scent. His smell comforted her and she let her eyes fall shut, thinking back to just days before when it had been her all on her own with Bruin.

She had wanted Peter to be a part of their daughter's life but up until recently, she hadn't been confident that he wouldn't miss a huge chunk of it. Peter had been locked away in Eichen House, he had gone behind her back, worked with Kate Argent, and had tried to kill Scott in Mexico.

She couldn't trust him then and she'd be foolish to trust him now, but currently they had bigger things to worry about. Peter wouldn't be working with the Ghost Riders, what would they want with him anyways? No, he was right here with her, and as mad as she had been with him, she wasn't going to let him get away, not again.

"I was _so_ mad at you." Sydney whispered, running her hand along his forearm and drumming her finger against the back of his wrist. "How could you have just turned on me like you did?"

"I never intended to lose you, to drive you away." Peter admitted and she let out a huff. "I should've been honest with you about Kate from the beginning."

"Part of me almost wishes you had died in Mexico." She breathed the words out and when he tensed next to her, she fought off the urge to growl at him. "There's one thing that I will always believe about my parents, and my grandparents- they died, they were taken from me, they didn't choose to leave me."

"Sydney…" Peter broke in but she dropped her head, her forehead hitting his shoulder.

"But you- god Peter, you chose to give up on me, you chose the side that forced us apart and you didn't think twice about doing it." She carried on, pausing only to suck in a deep breath. "That was a choice you made, you left me, and that breaks my heart more than if I had lost you to death."

"You knew what you were getting into with me." Peter countered, clearly trying to find a way to defend his actions. "It's not like I intentionally set out to hurt you."

"But you did." She whimpered and lifted her head away from his shoulder, instead she pressed a sweet little kiss against the side of his neck. "You brushed me aside, like my feelings for you meant nothing. I had to leave you that night, I had to watch you get admitted to Eichen House, and then try to keep myself together knowing I was on my own."

He opened his mouth to respond but she lifted her hand up and pressed the tip of her finger against his lip, keeping him silent. Taking a few seconds to gather her thoughts, she let her mind drift to all of the bad stuff she had dealt with while he had been out of her life, plus she had let her mind wander to all of the things he had missed out on because of his choices.

He had missed finding out about Bruin, he had missed the entire pregnancy, and the birth. He had missed Sydney getting her pack together and watching them grow stronger with each passing day. He had missed out on Colorado, hell, he had forfeited a lot when it came to her, but she could deal with it, she could grow to forgive him. She just hated the idea that he had missed so much when it came to their child.

"I don't care if I fall in love with a devil, as long as that devil will love me the way he loves hell." She said softly.

Peter peeled himself away from her and stood up, carefully making his way over to the crib tucked away in the corner of the room. He left Sydney on the bed, her eyes never leaving his form as he gingerly set the baby down, even going as far as to run his hand over her head and whisper a sweet little goodnight.

When he turned back around to face her, once Bruin was snuggly in her crib, he took a step towards her but stopped, glancing back to steal one more look at his child.

"I'm sorry you had to go through everything without me." Peter said and she listened carefully for any insincerity in his tone, yet she found none. He was being genuine and maybe he had thought long and hard while he had been locked away, maybe he was really ready to move forward. She just hoped that he wouldn't turn on her again.

"You can…" she trailed off and ran her hands anxiously through her hair, "if you want, you can go into my memories."

"I couldn't." Peter gave a slight shake of his head and closed the distance between them. He sat down beside her and set his one hand on her knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"You can see Bruin though." Sydney pressed and turned sideways to get a better look at him.

"Maybe some other time."

"If you're sure." She bowed her head and hesitantly set her hand on top of his. He turned her hand over and laced his fingers between hers, holding on to her for fear that if he left go, she'd disappear.

Peter was glad that he was with Sydney, he was happy that she had managed to find him and most importantly, he was content with the fact that he was here with her in her home, the sounds of their daughter breathing sounding out into the room. What more could he truly ask for?

"I really do love you." Peter gave her hand a squeeze and when she relaxed against his side, he let out a sigh of his own. "You have to understand that."

"I do." She sucked in a breath. "I just…wish things could've been different, you know?"

"Yes."

"Do you honestly think we should just leave Beacon Hills?" Sydney asked, changing the subject before Peter had a chance to say anything more on the matter. "We can't just leave Stiles."

"Maybe you can't but I've had a bit of time to think lately."

"You mean when you were holed up in the hospital?" She countered, a slight edge of teasing in her tone. "And what exactly were you thinking about?"

"Bruin." Peter answered simply. "She's not safe here, neither is the rest of your pack. Charlie, Isaac, the twins and Derek should take Bruin and get the hell out of here, and you should go with them."

"Yeah, and leave you to save Stiles?" Sydney posed. "I want to help, Stiles needs me."

"Then you tell the rest of your pack to leave and to take Bruin with them." Peter corrected himself. "There's no reason she needs to be here, not until we figure out how to push the Ghost Riders out."

Sydney took his words to heart and seriously considered what he was saying. He had a point, it wasn't like Bruin could defend herself if the Ghost Riders decided to take her, and then what would happen? Sydney couldn't fathom the idea of her sweet little baby girl being stuck in the train station, if she survived the attack at all. Plus her pack- well she trusted them. There was nothing stopping her from agreeing to let them take Bruin and get out of Beacon Hills.

If it meant her daughter was safe from the Ghost Riders then it was worth a conversation at the very least.

"They can head back to Colorado." Sydney suggested.

"And _you_ should go with them."

"Well you should too." Sydney argued. "You're Bruin's father- oh!"

"What?" Peter narrowed his eyes in on her and she straightened up next to him.

"I know why you're not already trying to get the hell out of here, you're trying to help Malia, aren't you?" Sydney pressed and stared at him, even going as far as to bring out her alpha red eyes. He countered her actions by bringing out his icy blue irises and she cocked her head sideways at the sight. "You want to save her, don't you?"

"I-"

"You're trying to make it up to her." Sydney cut him off and Peter merely shook his head in disbelief. "You can save Bruin, she'll be fine with the pack, and with me, but who's going to look out for Malia, right?"

Peter twisted away from her and let out a low growl of frustration, "she's too stubborn to let go of the idea of trying to save Stiles."

"So you're going to be the one to save her?" Sydney questioned and cautiously reached up, taking a gentle hold of his chin. He let her guide his head so that he was looking back at her and before he knew what was happening, Sydney leaned in close to him and pressed her lips against his.

He kissed her right back and felt the steady thrumming of her heart. God he missed her, he missed being right next to her, he missed sleeping with her and holding her. He missed how truly intelligent she was and how strong she could be. Sydney was his perfect match, and here she was, figuring out on her own why he wasn't willing to leave with them just yet.

When they parted, Sydney took her bottom lip in between her teeth and Peter lifted his free hand up, running his fingertips over her jaw.

"Who's going to be the one to save you?" Sydney asked in a whisper. "Because I lost you once, I'm not doing that again."

"I know."

"I'm not leaving you here." Sydney stated. "If you stay, I stay."

"I wouldn't have figured it'd be any other way."

All she could do now was hold on to Peter tight and pray that they both made it out of Beacon Hills alive.

 **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**

 **What did you guys all think about Peter meeting the pack officially?**


	23. Chapter 23

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 23** **:**

Sydney wasn't entirely confident that her pack was doing what they were told. She knew they usually followed instructions but this time was different, this time there were lives on the line and Sydney wouldn't have blamed any of her betas if they refused to leave and wanted to stay and help.

With the hopes that they were all packing up and getting ready to head back towards Colorado, Sydney had stuck with Peter and headed to the Sheriff's station with him where there was an apparent impromptu McCall pack meeting. Why was she there though? Oh yes, because she wanted to help Stiles just as much as the rest of them.

He was important to her, they were close, and she wasn't going to just leave Stiles behind. She was going to help them all figure out a way to get the human back and defeat the Ghost Riders. Wishful thinking, yes, but Rome wasn't built in a day and they weren't planning to do it all today either.

Peter hadn't said much to her since they had waltzed through the front doors of the Sheriff's station, not that she was complaining, she wasn't sure what to say to him either, or to any of the other people in the building with her. She wanted to convince Peter to leave, she wanted to try to talk him into getting out of town with the rest of her pack, but she knew that getting him to admit defeat was just as unlikely as it was for her to do just that. She wasn't going to walk away from Stiles, and she currently didn't expect Peter to walk away from Malia.

As he leaned against the wall just inside the door, Sydney wandered around the room, taking in the sight of the empty and vacant offices, all the while catching the attention of the last remaining residence of Beacon Hills, aside from her pack. God what was happening here, why were there so few people left all of a sudden and how much time did they all have before the Ghost Riders completed whatever it was they were doing? Would they even survive? Would her pack _have_ enough time to get across the town line and escape the clutches of the Ghost Riders? Or was it too late?

"Do you guys have any sort of plan?" Sydney piped up and moseyed around the vicinity of the room. She spotted the desk with Parrish's name plate on it and felt a shiver run down her spine. If his name plate was here that meant that he wasn't taken, but if he wasn't taken, then where was he? Why wasn't he here helping them?

"I'm going to go in, find Stiles and bite him." Scott explained and Sydney gave him a nod of her head. Okay, that was his plan, well, it didn't sound all that bad but she could've bitten him when she had been in the train station if she had known it was the best chance they had.

They could've been steps ahead of the Ghost Riders by now if she had been informed of the plan before she had played bait and gotten herself taken.

"That's a decent plan, but are we sure there isn't _any_ other way to get Stiles back? What if we kicked the asses of the Ghost Riders?" Sydney supplied and Liam let out a sigh of frustration.

"They have horses." Liam pointed out and Sydney cocked her head to the side. "And they have the numbers."

"Bait and trap." Sydney offered up. "Is there any way to hold them back, to cage them up like wild animals?"

"We tried that already and it didn't work." Malia piped up and turned her attention towards Sydney. Sydney raised her hands into the air in surrender and began moseying on over towards Peter, stopping only when she was next to him. She lowered her hands and planted them on her hips, waiting for someone else to speak.

"Is this really the best plan we have?" Lydia spoke her piece and Sydney, for once in her life, found herself agreeing with Lydia's concerns. Part of her despised the fact that she was even still here with them, but another part of her was thankful that they had someone as smart as her on their side.

"In all fairness, it's really not that hard to get _in_." Peter supplied matter-of-factly and Sydney nodded her agreement. She had been stolen, she had baited the Ghost Riders and had wound up in the train station without much effort at all. The Ghost Riders were after them all, it wasn't like it would take a lot of planning to get their attention. "Getting _out_ is a whole other-"

"I saw a kid turn to dust." Sydney cut him off. " _Dust_. I'm sorry but I don't want anything like that to happen to Stiles."

"So," Lydia spoke up and turned her attention to Scott, "you're going to bite Stiles?"

"Really?" Sydney threw out.

"To get him through the rift." Scott countered. Scott took a few steps away from Lydia and moved towards one of the many vacant desks. "It's the only way."

"Just to clarify," Peter piped up and pushed himself off the wall of the station, "are you planning on biting everyone in the train station?"

He wandered over towards the same desk as Scott and Sydney wasn't even two seconds behind him. She was going to stick with him, she was going to try to protect him and if everything went smoothly, then the two of them would be able to help Scott get Stiles back and save Beacon Hills.

Wishful thinking, but she had faced worse, right? She had gone up against a pack of alphas, she had taken on a Nogitsune, and she had survived the Dread Doctors. This was just another obstacle in their way and she wasn't going to give up without one hell of a fight.

Sydney settled in next to Peter and she leaned over the desk, looking at the surface and finding herself continuing to wonder where Parrish was. Should he not have been here with them, helping them try to figure things out? What had happened to him, and if he hadn't been taken by the Ghost Riders, what _had_ happened to him?

"With Stiles back, he'll be able to help us figure out a plan." Scott pointed out. Sounded simple enough but would it really be that easy?

"He's good at that." Malia added.

"So the plan is to get Stiles to come up with a plan." Peter quipped, more for confirmation than anything. He began pacing the floor, leaving her standing at the desk with Scott and the rest of his pack, but her eyes followed his feet as he moved. Sydney sucked in a nervous breath and lifted her eyes up, locking them on Scott as she blew the breath out. Why was Stiles the only one smart enough to come up with a plan? They were capable of figuring this out on their own, right? Without turning Stiles into a werewolf?

"You can shut up now." Malia barked, turning her attention to Scott and only Scott.

"Fat chance of that happening." Sydney tossed out, running a hand through her hair. She circled her arms around her and took her bottom lip in between her teeth, desperately trying to find another idea to get Stiles out.

"Malia, look around, we're the only ones left in Beacon Hills. If they take us, Lydia will be the only one left to haunt the place." Peter stated and came to a stop a few feet away from Malia.

"That's why I'm the only person that's going in, Liam and Hayden will stay here with Mason." Scott instructed. "As long as somebody is left in Beacon Hills, the Wild Hunt can't move on."

"What about Parrish?" Sydney cut in.

"He's…" Scott trailed off and dropped his eyes down to the floor. "He's not on our side right now."

"Where is he?" Sydney pressed. "Who's side is he on?"

"The Nazi werewolf." Liam answered. "He's controlling Parrish."

Sydney's eyes widened in surprise and she shook her head, trying to clear her head. What the hell was Liam talking about, what did a Nazi werewolf have to do with the Ghost Riders? And what exactly _was_ a Nazi werewolf? Good god could they not catch a break.

Lifting her hands up and running them both through her hair, Sydney moved away from the desk and wandered over towards the door, peering out into the front lot. She shut her eyes and tried to think positive, yes, they could do this, they could get to Stiles, they could save him, and they could get all the people of Beacon Hills out of the train station.

"Theo-"

"Theo?" Sydney growled and whipped around to face Liam, who had been the one to say the kid's name. "What _about_ Theo?"

"He can- he can help us." Liam supplied, fumbling over his words. Sydney's eyes flickered red and she moved swiftly towards the desk, stopping only when Peter's hand came out and wrapped around her bicep. She turned towards him and let out a low, feral growl, but he didn't let go, he didn't even flinch.

"He's alive?" Sydney ground the words out and Liam nodded his head yes. "I'll kill him, I swear to god!"

"He hasn't…he's on our side…" Liam's words didn't even sound all that confident but Sydney sucked in a breath, forced her alpha red eyes back and tried to focus on the task at hand. Stiles was her main priority, she'd worry about getting to Theo once he was back and safe in Beacon Hills.

If what Liam was saying was true, maybe Theo _could_ help them. After all, it wasn't like Theo had anything to gain at this point in time, right? The Ghost Riders would be after him just the same as they were after the rest of them.

"I like your plan, Scott, I really do," Peter said, drawing everyone's attention back to the task at hand, he even loosened his grip on Sydney's arm, but she didn't move away from him, "especially the part about turning Stiles… but it can't work."

"How do you know?" Malia countered.

"Logic. Life experience." Peter argued. Sydney opened her mouth to speak but Peter beat her too it. "What are the odds that he'll get taken? What if Stiles isn't there? What if there's no Beacon Hills for you to come back to?"

"Getting taken is easy." Sydney murmured. "Finding Stiles is a little harder."

"And getting him out in time is insane." Peter supplied.

"You got a better idea?" Liam shot back at the older male.

"Yeah, it's called, 'run like hell'." Peter barked and all eyes were on him. "So, leave in five?"

Sydney stiffened next to him and rolled her shoulders back. What was he doing, what was the point of coming here to try and help them if he was just going to go back on what he had said the night before? Was he really going to just leave Malia to fend for herself, and even if that _was_ the case, did he really think that Sydney was just going to follow his lead without Stiles by her side?

"You promised you'd help us." Malia said as she closed in on Peter. Her voice was low and calm, something that Sydney wasn't completely familiar with when it came to the unpredictable werecoyote. "We still need to find the rift."

"I didn't promise I'd help you commit suicide." Peter replied, looking at her like she was absolutely crazy. Well, it wasn't like the crazy gene didn't run in the family.

"If you can't help, we can find it ourselves." Scott piped up, confidence lacing his tone.

"I can maybe-" Sydney didn't get a chance to speak her mind, not as Peter's claws bit into the skin on her forearm. She turned her attention to him, glaring at him and baring her teeth, but Peter didn't back down. She wasn't going to make a sound, she wasn't going to let him win, she wasn't going to-

"Scott, I admit that you have a flair for beating the odds, but, this- you don't walk away from, you run." Peter explained and Sydney clenched her fist, wondering if he was going to let her go.

Without giving Scott or his pack the chance to respond, Peter headed for the door, dragging her along with him. She moved with him and once they were outside, he released his hold he had on her arm. Sydney flexed her fingers and felt her muscles and skin healing by the second.

She turned her attention towards Peter and ran her hand over her arm, swiping at the blood that he had drawn. Peter looked at her, his eyes wide and waiting for her to speak. Okay, fine, she could do that, she could take the lead now that they were outside.

"What was that? Last night you were telling me that you couldn't just leave Malia and then in there-"

"Sue me, I thought about it and I concluded that I have Bruin." Peter cut her off, leveling her with a glare of his own. She took another swipe at the blood on her arm and hissed from the small amount of residual pain. "She hasn't been corrupted yet, she doesn't know anything about my past, why can't I just start off with a clean slate with her and leave Malia here?"

"Okay." Sydney let out a low whistle and rolled her eyes. "Well either way, I'm going to help save Stiles. You can run, so long as you stay with the pack."

"They're not _mine-_ "

"Remember your place Peter." Sydney cut him off, stepping closer to him and setting her hands on his shoulders. She peered up at him through her lashes and watched as he let out a soft sigh.

"Right next to you."

"Damn right." She grinned and moved onto her tiptoes, pressing her lips against his.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Charlie was looking forward to a vacation of sorts. It wasn't like the pack had much else to do, sure they could stay and help figure out how to fight the Ghost Riders but Sydney had informed her that she was supposed to leave town. If they weren't within the limits for the Ghost Riders to take, then in theory, they wouldn't be taken. Either way, Charlie wasn't about to argue with her alpha, especially not if Isaac was going to be leaving with them.

The idea was that the betas, Charlie and the others, would gather up whatever they could and head back to Colorado for the time being. She had heard that Sydney wasn't going to be joining them, which only served to set her on edge.

What would happen to the pack if something happened to Sydney, who would take over as leader? A shudder coursed through Charlie's body at the thought and she pushed the negative thoughts away for the time being. Sydney was strong, she was capable, and she'd figure something out. She wouldn't just abandon the pack, and she certainly wouldn't abandon Bruin.

"Charlie?" Isaac called out from the hallway and she couldn't help but smile at the thought of him going with them. A few seconds later, he wandered into the room, little Sam trailing along behind him.

As soon as the blonde child was inside the doorway, she took off for Charlie's bed and climbed up onto the edge, sitting there with her legs hanging over the side. She looked up at Charlie with wide wonder-filled eyes and caught sight of the smile on Charlie's face.

"Are you almost ready to go?" Sam posed and pressed her palms against the comforter of Charlie's bed. "Aren't you excited?"

"Almost," Charlie answered the first question and peered back at Isaac, who remained standing inside the doorframe, his back against the wood, "I'm a _little_ bit excited, probably more relieved than anything."

"No kidding." Isaac snorted and rolled his eyes at her words. Relieved, yes, who wouldn't be relieved? They were currently residing in a town that was slowly being picked off, person by person. The population was decreasing by the second and the sooner they could get a move on, the better off Isaac would feel.

He didn't want to deal with the Ghost Riders, he just wanted to get the hell out before something bad happened to them. When he had found out about their plan to get the hell out of dodge, he had been opposed to it, for all of a few seconds. He didn't want to be here when all hell broke loose and if Sydney claimed that she wanted the pack out of harm's way, then he certainly wasn't going to argue with her.

She generally seemed to know what she was doing. At the very least, she was eliminating the amount of casualties, and that was something Isaac could support.

"We get to go on a trip and Sydney's going to save everyone." Sam beamed up at Charlie and Charlie gave the girl a nod in response. Oh boy was it a breath of fresh air to have someone as optimistic as Sam.

"That's what you think is happening?" Isaac countered, looking directly at the little girl on the bed. He stiffened at the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs but as soon as Derek's scent settled in his nose, he let out a sigh of relief. "That's wishful thinking Sam."

"Don't you think Syd can do it?" Charlie quipped, siding with the innocent girl. "I mean, I think she can, especially now that she's back with Peter."

"Peter Hale isn't exactly someone that I would trust." Isaac pointed out and took a step inside the room, giving Derek enough space to waltz by. He closed in on Sam and cautiously sat down beside her, letting the girl lean against his side. Isaac stole a glance over at Charlie, but when he made note that she wasn't paying him any attention, he let out a huff. "I'll forgive you this time because you're new when it comes to Peter, but trust me, he's not someone that you should rely on."

"He's the best we've got." Charlie offered up with a shrug.

"He saved me." Sam remarked, a fact which Isaac couldn't deny, though part of him wondered if he'd make the effort to save the little girl if Sydney hadn't been there. "Plus he's been around a _long_ time, Sydney loves him."

"That she does." Derek mumbled in agreement. "You guys almost ready to get a move on?"

"Yes." Charlie nodded her head and turned around, lowering her butt down to sit on the edge of the bed next to Sam. "Who's driving?"

"I am." Derek answered and Charlie scrunched up her nose in confusion. She'd admit it out loud to anyone who asked that she wasn't all that great when it came to math, but she knew that it would certainly be a squishy ride if he was the only one driving. "And we have Syd's car, though I'm not too sure who's driving it."

"I can." Charlie grinned and even Sam seemed to light up at the prospect of Charlie driving.

"You're old enough to drive?" Sam asked quickly, her voice filled with awe.

"Certainly am."

"Sam, you're riding with me." Derek cut in before the girl could get any more ideas. "I get you, Bruin and one of the twins."

"Does that mean I get to ride with Isaac and the other twin? Can I drive, please?" Charlie begged and Derek shook his head at her, but he didn't bother answering with his words. Charlie reached around behind Sam and gave his arm a gentle nudge but Derek merely stood up, offered Sam his hand and waited for the tot to climb down off the bed.

As soon as she had her hand wrapped around his, Derek pointed towards the bedroom door, "we leave as soon as Syd says so."

"Is she back?" Charlie asked and Derek shook his head no before wandering out of the room, Sam trailing along behind him. Charlie peered over at Isaac and rose up to her full height, nabbing the backpack off the bed as she did so.

Without a word, she walked over towards Isaac, let him drape his arm around her shoulders and the two of them moved out into the hallway, following Derek's lead. Once they were in the kitchen, Charlie paused and looked around at the house one more time. She didn't know how long it was going to be until it was safe for them to come back but she prayed that it wasn't going to be all that long at all.

This was her home away from home and she loved living here. She loved being near the twins and Sydney, she adored having Bruin so close and she couldn't fathom not having Isaac within walking distance. This was a good place for her, and the pack was nothing short of amazing.

Isaac nudged her with his elbow and Charlie perked up at the sound of car doors slamming from outside. She rushed for the front door, Isaac moving with her, and flipped the deadbolt before Sydney could even get to the porch. Her alpha smiled at her from the steps, Peter right behind her, and when they got to the door, Charlie stepped back and waved them in.

"You guys almost ready?" Sydney questioned and stepped into the house. Once Peter was securely inside, Charlie shut the door and threw the bolt back across once more. "I want you guys out of here as soon as possible."

"Got it!" Derek called out to her from the living room and when Charlie peered back at him, she couldn't help but smile at the sight of him holding Bruin in one arm while Sam clung to his free hand. "We need your car keys."

"I'll take them!" Charlie piped up and took a step closer to her alpha. Sydney narrowed her eyes in on the girl but produced her car keys from her jacket pocket and reluctantly handed them over to her.

"Not a scratch." Sydney growled, Charlie nodding her head in understanding. "And follow Derek, no detours."

"Of course." Charlie continued to smile and Sydney gave her arm a gentle pat before turning her attention to Peter.

"You staying with me or are you taking off with them?" Sydney asked. Peter took a few seconds to himself, looking past her at Bruin, who was still firmly grasped in Derek's arms.

He knew what he had said to her outside of the sheriff's station, but maybe helping Malia would be good for him. Bruin was in fine hands, Peter was well aware that Derek wasn't going to let anything hurt her, plus the entirety of Sydney's pack would be with him too.

"Worst case scenario, you take one of the twins' bikes." Charlie tossed out, immediately drawing everyone's attention to her. "What?"

"Worst case scenario we all get erased." Peter argued. "Seriously Sydney, where _did_ you find this one? She seems a little on the slow side."

"Shut up Peter." Sydney groaned and flashed Charlie an apologetic look.

"Yeah and just as a reminder, I've spent more time with your daughter than you have." Charlie jeered.

"That was _not_ my fault." Peter protested. "You don't know-"

"Are you staying or going?" Sydney cut him off, leveling him with a glare. "Because if you're going, you better figure out who's car you're going in."

"Staying." Peter answered, an air of confidence to his tone.

"Maybe this time you won't turn your back on Syd." Derek stated from his spot in the living room. "Sam, can you grab your stuff that you're taking and say goodbye?"

"What about Ethan and Aidan?" Sam countered.

"They're just getting the last of their stuff together, they'll be up shortly." Derek replied. "Syd, if you need anything, you call me."

Sydney nodded her head in understanding and dropped her eyes down to her feet. She wasn't sure she liked the idea of sending her pack away but it was the best option for them. If she could keep them safe, if they could stay out of the Ghost Riders sight, then it would be a lot less for her to worry about. She wanted to save Stiles, she didn't want to have to do that while also concerning herself with her pack's safety.

Aidan and Ethan stepped up from the basement and headed for the front door, pausing only to stop and give Sydney a reassuring pat on the shoulder. She didn't say anything to them and they didn't say anything to her; what was there _to_ say anyways? The twins carried on outside to the car, leaving Charlie, Isaac, Derek and the two girls in the house.

Charlie moved closer to Sydney and gave her a desperate hug, Isaac following her lead before the two of them wandered out after the twins. Sam broke out into a run and launched herself at Sydney, who caught her with ease and squeezed her roughly, holding on to her for a few seconds longer than she should have.

"Be careful." Sam whispered and ran her hand down Sydney's jaw. "You too Peter."

Peter merely nodded his head at the girl and she moved to the door, stopping just outside on the porch while she waited for Derek. Derek moved closer to Sydney and stopped in front of her, letting her take a content Bruin out of his arms. Before she could get the baby settled against her chest, Peter nabbed her and hugged her against his own body, pressing his lips to the top of her head while inhaling her perfect scent. Sydney ran her hand over Bruin's back and without words, the two of them let Derek take their baby back before wandering outside, Sam falling in step behind him.

"You ready for whatever's about to happen?" Sydney asked in a low tone.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Peter answered. He slipped his arm around her back and ushered her out onto the porch. Together they stood there and watched on as Sydney's pack split up into two cars and pulled away.

All that was standing between her and joining her pack in Colorado were the Ghost Riders, and damn them if they were going to keep her from reuniting with her fellow pack mates.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Uh oh, what do you think is going to happen?_**

 ** _How are you guys liking 6b? Any requests for Syd's pack for it?_**

 ** _Thank you to everyone still hanging on and reading, I appreciate every single one of you guys!_**


	24. Chapter 24

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 24** **:**

"Who's Theo?" Peter quipped as he held on to her hand. Sydney didn't skip a step at all down in the tunnels but she _was_ taken aback by his question.

Sometimes it was hard for her to remember that he wasn't as up to par as the rest of them when it came to the supernatural threats that had been in Beacon Hills, Theo Raeken was one of them, one of the ones that she had thought had been taken care of.

"He's an old friend of Scott and Stiles." Sydney answered, giving him the best response she could without getting into the gritty details. Theo Raeken was much more than a friend of a friend, he was an enemy to her, he was the person who had targeted Stiles and his father, he was the guy who had tried, and technically succeeded, to kill Scott.

But Peter didn't need to know all that, not yet anyways, not when they had bigger things to worry about. The Ghost Riders were still on the loose and Sydney knew they were lurking somewhere within the town limits. She hoped that her pack had made it out of Beacon Hills in one piece, she prayed that they had left in time to get out before they were taken. Her nerves were shot and she couldn't help but be on edge.

Everything around her was crumbling and she didn't know what to do.

"What did he do to you?" Peter pressed. "You seemed to get rather hostile at the mentioning of his name, which makes me wonder if he's _just_ a friend to some teenagers, why did you react the way you did?"

"Theo is an enemy." Sydney supplied. "He was working with the Dread Doctors, he tried to kill Scott, he took the Sheriff and hid him on us, and that's not even mentioning the fact that he turned Scott's pack against each other. He's a bad kid and I told him the last time I saw him that I'd kill him if I ever laid eyes on him again."

"He's got you _this_ on edge at the mere mentioning of his name." Peter stated but carried on moving through the tunnels. Sydney could smell the faint scents of Malia, Scott and Lydia, and she swore there was a hint of Liam too. This is where Peter had led her, this was the place that he had brought her in order to attempt to help Malia with the Ghost Riders.

The tunnels were just as creepy as she remembered from the last time she was in them but somehow, having Peter nearby was comforting. At least if they were going to get into trouble, they were going to do it together.

"He's just a kid that needs to learn his place, that's all." Sydney said, following it up with a scoff. "He's not even a real supernatural."

"What do you mean?"

Peter stopped in his movements and extended his hand out to the side, pressing his palm against the dank, cool wall. He turned back around to face her and raised his eyebrows at her.

Oh right, he wasn't familiar with chimeras, not like she was anyways. Did she really have to explain this to him though, surely he was smart enough to figure it out on his own, after all, he thrived on the fact that he was more intelligent than almost everyone in Beacon Hills.

"He's half werewolf and half werecoyote." Sydney answered and planted her hand on her hip. She let her other arm drape across her abdomen and cocked her hip out to the side. "He was scientifically created, wait, is that the right term- any way, these creepy ass steam punk guys called the Dread Doctors made him."

Taking a step towards her, Peter closed the distance between them and gently set his hand on the side of her neck. She melted into his touch and let her eyes fall shut, enjoying a second of peace before shit hit the fan. God she missed him, she missed having him by her side, she missed going to bed next to him. She missed his touch, she missed his voice, hell, she missed the way it felt to kiss him.

She was glad that Peter was back with her, even if it meant that she was without the rest of her pack for the time being.

"Where are these _Dread_ Doctors now?"

Sydney sucked in a breath and opened her eyes, meeting Peter's. She knew that her alpha red irises were out in full bloom but she didn't care, she needed to feel confident, and it certainly helped her to do just that.

"Dead." She nodded her head and he peeled his hand away from her, moving slightly backwards too. "The beast killed them."

"You're going to have to give me an entire breakdown of all the things I missed when all this is over." Peter said with a smile, reaching out and grabbing her hand. She let him lace his fingers with hers and at the warmth of his touch, she let out a soft sigh of relief, her body relaxing slightly. "Seems I've missed a lot."

"The birth of your child." Sydney murmured.

She jumped at the sound of his laughter, a quick, single bark of it, but nonetheless it had caught her off guard. She blew out a breath and quickly closed the distance between their bodies, pressing her chest against his and letting his arm snake around her back. Her hand remained gripping his other one and she let her forehead rest against his shoulder.

Tuning in to the beat of his heart, she tried to relax, she tried to get her head on straight. He had already missed so much, and she hated the thought that he'd miss any more. Bruin deserved to have her father, _and_ her mother, and there wasn't anything that Sydney wanted more for her baby girl than for her to grow up with a full and happy family.

"I promise you, I'm not going to leave Bruin, or you, _ever_ again." Peter admitted, his voice soft and low. She let him hold her for a little longer, hoping that this peaceful moment would be enough to get her through. She knew that something big was coming, they still had to figure out how to get Stiles back while protecting what was left of Beacon Hills in the process.

It wasn't going to be easy, but then again, nothing in Sydney's life ever seemed to be easy. It was hard, full of obstacles, but she always managed to make it through. At least now she had a pack of her own, and Peter by her side.

"We should keep moving." Sydney whispered, hesitantly pulling away from him.

He didn't let her get too far though and he kept a firm grasp on her hand. She was thankful for that and without another word shared between them, they continued to move forward, wandering through the eerie, dimly lit tunnels.

If she ignored the blatant sketchiness of what they were doing, she could almost, _almost_ , imagine that her and Peter were on a leisurely walk together, almost like a date. She leaned against his shoulder and rested her head on him, letting out a soft sigh. She already missed the rest of her pack, she wanted to be back at the house with Bruin, but there were bigger things to worry about, an enemy that needed to be taken down.

Was it worth it if they succeeded in beating the Ghost Riders, would it all be worth it in the end?

"You should've gone with the others." Peter broke the silence first but all Sydney could do in response was shake her head. She wasn't going to leave him, he had to know that. "Malia is my responsibility, you should be with Bruin."

"It's my job." Sydney remarked.

"How is that even remotely your job?"

"As an alpha. I'm supposed to be the one to protect my pack. Sure sending them away will save them in theory but if I don't do something more than that, what will we have to come back to, if there's anything left at all?"

"What's your job as a mother?" Peter pressed, glancing sideways at her. She rolled her eyes at him and peered around at the tunnel they were currently wandering through.

"If I'm honest with you, I probably rely way too much on my pack to help me with Bruin." Sydney confessed, fighting off a hint of a smile. "I know I should work on that."

"You've got me now, you can rely on me, and not so much on your pack."

Sydney nodded her head in understanding and let a blanket of silence fall over them. She didn't know what to say to him, she didn't know what they were supposed to talk about, every time she thought of something _to_ say, she reckoned that it wasn't as important as keeping her focus on the task at hand.

Distractions were dangerous, she knew that first hand.

Walking side by side, and hand in hand, in complete silence, her and Peter moved through the tunnels, following Malia's scent. It was getting stronger, which was a good sign, meaning they were getting closer, but there was a lingering odour within the scent, and to Sydney it almost smelled like Malia was scared.

Huh, well, she didn't know Malia to get scared, but then again, they were talking about Stiles here, maybe she was worried about him, maybe she was concerned about him, it was possible.

Or maybe there was something else in the tunnels with them, maybe-

"Do you hear that?" Peter hissed and brought them both to a stop. He tightened his grip on her hand and made an attempt to tuck Sydney behind him, but she refused to move. She could handle herself, she could stand her own ground.

Her ears perked up at the familiar sounds of heavy footsteps, paired with the jingling sound of the spurs that they wore. The Ghost Riders were down here with them, she could hear them, she knew they were in trouble now. If it was just her and Peter versus any number of Ghost Riders, they were in for one hell of a rough time.

"What do we do?" Sydney shot back, keeping her voice low so as not to attract any unwanted attention, mainly from the Ghost Riders.

"We fight."

Peter took off at the speed of light, leaving Sydney in his wake. She held back for all of a split second before dashing down the tunnel after him. She wasn't going to let him go off on his own, she was going to stick right with him, giving it everything she had.

Sydney rounded the corner and froze in her tracks, her eyes locking on a cowering Malia and Scott. Scott was down on the ground with Malia in front of him, the young werecoyote standing her own ground. They looked like they needed help and before Sydney could get a growl out, Peter launched himself forward, heading right for his daughter.

With her feet frozen in place, Sydney could only watch as one of the two Ghost Riders drew his gun and lifted it up slowly, pointing it directly at Scott and Malia. With a shake of her head, she crouched down and opened her mouth, letting out a deep, guttural growl that caught everyone off guard.

Peter soared through the air, grabbed the hand holding the gun and flew towards the second Ghost Rider, landing a kick directly in its chest and sending it falling backwards.

Sydney threw her head back and forced her canines out before surging forward to join the fight. She felt the same unfamiliar sensations of her body shifting as the night in the woods but this time when she landed, she wasn't quite as shocked to see paws in place of her feet. Boy oh boy she would never, _ever_ get used to the feeling of shifting into a full wolf.

Peter continued to struggle with the Ghost Riders on his own accord while wolf Sydney went for the legs. He managed to get a break just long enough to look at the two youngsters crouched on the ground and watching him fight.

"Why aren't you running?" Peter yelled at them and without a second thought, Malia and Scott leapt to their feet.

Peter caught sight of Sydney growling and attacking like a feral animal. She was doing great, well, as great as he could've imagined considering she was a dog-like entity more than a quarter of the size of the Ghost Rider she was fighting.

It didn't matter, Peter wasn't going to back down, he wasn't going to stop throwing his hands out, clawing at the Ghost Riders and holding their attention long enough to give Malia a way out.

He was thrown across the room, his back colliding with the brick wall of the tunnel and for a few seconds, he struggled to get air into his lungs. They had knocked the wind out of him, but it wasn't enough to stop him, no, he wasn't even close to done, he wasn't going to let them win, they weren't going to get Malia.

Before he had a chance to get away from the wall, the Ghost Rider Sydney had been attacking kicked her, sending the wolf skidding across the room. The Ghost Rider made a grab for Peter's left arm while the one he had been fighting grabbed for his right, forcing him back against the wall and holding him there.

He peered over at Sydney, who was getting to her feet- well her paws- but before she could make a jump for him, a gunshot rang out and she disappeared into a puff of green smoke. Peter's eyes widened in pure and utter shock and he wondered if maybe they should've left with the rest of her pack.

What was going to happen to her now?

He barely made out the sound of Malia growling from down the tunnel and with the slightest of distractions, he tore his eyes away from the spot where Sydney had been mere seconds before, instead looking to the girl that he was desperately trying to protect.

"Go!" Peter screamed, wondering why they had stopped at all.

He braced himself for the Ghost Riders' next move and when they turned the gun towards him, pulling the trigger. He screwed his eyes shut and prayed that he'd end up wherever Sydney had disappeared too.

There was no pain, not except for the impact his body made with the hard, concrete floor, but before he could let out a grunt, a gentle hand was on his side, fingers digging into his hip. Cautiously he opened one eye, looking up at the woman he loved before opening his other eye.

Sydney was right there, she had survived being taken, _again_ , and she was within his reach.

"I know we've got bigger things to worry about but do you think maybe we could find me some clothes?" She asked and Peter took in the sight of her.

She was kneeling on the ground next to him, one arm across her chest covering her breasts and her other hand, which had been on his hip not two seconds earlier, was now draped over her lap. Peter made quick work of sitting up and without hesitating, he drew her in against his chest and hugged her tight, shielding her away from anyone who dared to look.

"That didn't go as planned." Peter whispered and buried his hand into her hair, holding her tight against him.

"Seriously though, I need clothes." Sydney snorted but kept herself against his chest. Without thinking too much about it, Peter peeled himself away from her and stripped off his t-shirt, maneuvering it in his hands before pulling it over her head. She slipped her arms into the sleeves and let the material fall down just below her waist.

"Temporary solution." Peter nodded his head in approval as Sydney carefully made her way to her feet. "You're not getting my pants though."

"Jerk." She shook her head at him. "Would you care to loan me your underwear at least? I can feel a breeze _down there_."

Peter let out a chuckle at her words and got to his feet, slipping his arm around her shoulders and holding her tight, refusing to let her go.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"Seriously, can I have your boxers?" Sydney asked in a murmur as she leaned closer to Peter, who was sitting on one of the benches within the train station. When he glanced over towards her, she looked down at her bare thighs and ran her palms over them. "Or maybe we could go looking for a lost and found?"

Peter's lips curled upwards into a smirk and she cocked her head sideways. His hand came to rest on top of hers, which was still on her thigh, and he gave it a rough squeeze. She let out a sigh and relaxed against him, gripping the bottom hem of his shirt and tugging on it, trying to get it to cover more of her. Turning to face her a little more head on, Peter moved his free hand up and ran it through her hair, trying to soothe her the best way he knew how.

He couldn't imagine how weird it must be for her to be sitting in the middle of the train station in nothing more than his t-shirt, but then again, he was sitting here shirtless. They were certainly a mismatched pair, yet no one seemed to even notice them, not really.

"Wait here." Peter whispered to her and he reluctantly peeled himself away from her body, leaving her all alone on the bench as he meandered across the room, his sights set on a woman a good thirty feet away who was dressed in many, many layers.

If he could just convince her to loan him _something_ that she was wearing, maybe he could get him and Sydney back into some clothes. Approaching her cautiously, he slowly lowered himself down on the bench next to her, turning his head and forcing what he was hoping was a charming smile in the woman's direction. She didn't even flinch, no, she remained staring straight ahead and it wasn't until he cleared his throat that she dared to move.

The strange woman carefully turned her head sideways and caught his smile, while Peter scooted forward on the bench, turning his body to face her.

"This might be a strange request but I have a friend over there who needs some more clothes." Peter stated and motioned his head behind him, the woman looking past him to see if she could locate the friend that Peter was talking about.

"The girl in the t-shirt, which I assume is yours?" The woman countered and waved a hand in Peter's direction, clearly noticing his shirtlessness. "I might have a spare sweater."

"Would you be willing to loan it to us? We were in a bit of a sticky situation before winding up here-"

"I think this is probably a story that I'd rather not hear." The woman cut him off and peeled off her jacket. She set it on the bench next to her and then proceeded to strip out of the long sweater that she had been wearing underneath. Once it was offered to Peter, he took it in his arms and watched as she made quick work of putting her jacket back on. "You just make sure you take good care of her."

Peter nodded his understanding and rose up to his feet, flashing the woman an appreciative smile. He turned his back to her and marched back over to Sydney, who looked up at him when he came to stop in front of her. She took the sweater from his hands and pulled it on, doing it up the front.

It was much longer than the shirt and hung down to her knees. The material was soft and a dark grey colour, which she was thankful for, but the best part was that it was much, much warmer than the t-shirt.

Sydney, with as much grace as she could muster, pulled her arms out of the sleeves of the sweater, but kept it covering her, as she maneuvered her upper body out of his t-shirt without flashing a single person. Peter pulled the garment on over his head and flopped back down next to her, setting his arm across her shoulders and feeling her relax against him.

"Thanks." She let out a sigh and settled her head against his shoulder.

"Am I going to have to start carrying around extra clothes for you?" Peter teased and rested his chin against her forehead. She let out a small chuckle but didn't respond, not entirely sure how to answer. "Maybe a spare pair of underwear for my pocket?"

"You'd just _love_ that wouldn't you?" She tipped her head back, forcing his chin away, and peered up at him. "Carrying a pair of my undies in your pocket, that's not pervy at all."

"What can I say, I missed you."

Sydney sucked in a breath and lowered her voice, "I missed you too, so damn much."

A blanket of silence fell over them and she settled in against his side, merely waiting for their next move. She wasn't sure what he was thinking, hell, she had no idea what his plan was, if he even had a plan at all, but it didn't matter. They were in this together and they'd figure a way out, _together_.

Her entire body tensed as a robotic voice sounded out over the P. A. system and she felt Peter stiffen next to her. What was happening, what was going on? Were they about to get out of here or was something more sinister going to happen to them? Surely the Ghost Riders had an end game and did that mean that Sydney would be gone from reality forever? Would she ever see Bruin again?

They had to do something, they just _had_ to.

"Attention, all passengers. The train will be arriving in 25 minutes."

"What train?" Sydney hissed and looked all around her, watching as people began to stand up. There was a giant crowd forming across the way and she couldn't tear her eyes away from them. Where were they going? What train was coming for them? "There was no train before, what the hell Peter?"

"I have no idea." Peter countered but he didn't move from the bench. Whatever the crowd was doing, he wanted no part of it.

The people all around them continued to shuffle and move and Sydney merely remained where she was, her hand locked with Peter's. She wasn't going to let go of him, she wasn't going to lose him and when a gunshot rang out in the train station, she let out a loud, fear filled yelp.

Peter leapt to his feet and pulled Sydney with him, dragging her across the way and towards the large crowd. He stopped at the edge of it and the people in front of him seemed to part, revealing none other than Stiles Stilinski. Sydney's eyes lit up at the sight of the sheriff standing twenty feet away from his son and she surged forward, pushing her way through the crowd with Peter following behind her.

The sheriff commanded the crowd to 'let him through' but Sydney was undeterred. She was going to get to him, she was going to let him know that she was right there with him and together they could surely figure out a way out of here, right?

"Sheriff!" She called out to him, continuing to move forward. "Sheriff!"

Peter was still right behind her, his hand in hers, and when they finally broke out of the crowd, she dashed for the older man and came to stand in front of him.

"Sydney?" The man seemed confused but she let go of Peter and launched herself at the sheriff without giving him any sort of time to prepare. She hugged him tight and felt him hesitantly hug her back.

"Did you…how are you here?" Sydney asked as she peeled herself away from him, taking a step back and sidling up next to Peter. "Where'd Stiles go?"

"Lydia's uh, well she's trying to save him, and us."

"What?" Sydney cocked her head sideways and stole a quick glance around the room. "But how?"

"It's a long story, but I know my son, and I know he can save us, he can save us _all_."

Sydney nodded her head in understanding and let the man go. The sheriff wandered away from her, following the same path that Stiles had disappeared down. She turned her attention towards Peter and furrowed her brows together in confusion.

"What do we do now?" She quipped, desperate to get out of here.

"We wait." Peter offered with a shrug. "What else _can_ we do?"

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Okay, seems I've figured out what to do with 6B now that Peter's actually shown up in an episode (there might be a brief wait between the last chapter of 6A and the first chapter of 6B but stick with me). What do you guys think of this chapter? Do you think Sydney will get out of the Wild Hunt unscathed, do you think her pack will be safe?_**

 ** _Thank you to those still reading and I'd love to hear from you guys!_**


	25. Chapter 25

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 25** **:**

Sydney wandered around the train station but never steering too far away from Peter, who remained sitting on the bench. They were still surrounded by a ton of people but the crowd had caused the herd to thin. She wanted to find a way out but she also wanted to trust that Stiles would figure out how to save them too.

She had lost track of the sheriff but she wasn't concerned, he was a grown man who could generally handle himself, plus it wasn't like they had actually seen the Ghost Riders in a while. Stiles would help them, if there was one thing Stiles excelled at, it was figuring things out.

"Sydney?" Peter called out for her and she paused in her movements, stopping to stand just behind him. Turning to face him, she took note that he was looking over the back of the bench, right at her. "What exactly are you looking for?"

"A way out." She answered simply and leveled him with a glare. "Which is much more than I can say you're doing, I mean, where did you even _find_ a newspaper?"

Peter held up the paper that he had gripped in his one hand and offered her a small smile. It was a decent question right, they were currently in some sort of world similar to purgatory, so where exactly _had_ he found a newspaper, and what sort of things were written in the columns? Only Peter would've managed to locate a piece of the old world while being stuck in limbo.

She wandered around the end of the bench and sat down next to him, her eyes scanning over the front of the newspaper, taking in the words. She didn't know what the articles were about but she knew that it wasn't real, it couldn't _be_ real. Anything in this weird, strange train station had her on edge.

They needed to get out of here, they needed to get back to Beacon Hills, but she didn't know how. Sure they could find the rift and go through the same way they had before, but there wasn't anyone left in Beacon Hills that could concoct enough of the Nine Herbs solution to help either one of them.

The two of them needed another way out, a better way out, one that didn't result in either of them being burnt to a barely recognizable crisp, but time was ticking, they were running low on it. Her and Peter needed to do something and they needed to do it fast.

"Do you think the pack made it out?" Sydney questioned, her voice barely louder than a whisper. Peter pulled his eyes away from the paper just long enough to give her a look and she widened her eyes at him. "Or do you think they're here somewhere? Oh god, what if…what if Bruin's-"

"Do you believe they made it out?" Peter cut her off, sensing how uneasy she was getting over the thought of her pack, and their daughter, not making out of the grasps of the Ghost Riders. "Because if they're anything like you've explained them to be, then I have every bit of faith that they're out of the reach from the Ghost Riders."

Letting out a soft sigh, Sydney nodded her head in understanding. Whether he truly believed his words or he was merely saying it to get her to calm down, she didn't care, the effect was the same. She knew that her pack wouldn't give up without a fight and if they _had_ been taken by the Ghost Riders, surely she would've caught sight, or scent, of them within the train station.

"Why can't things ever just be easy?" Sydney whimpered and pressed her nose against his shoulder, inhaling a deep whiff of his scent. She let it linger in her nose and her heart slowed down, her body calming, at the mere closeness of him. "Do you think when this is all over that we can just _be_ together? You know, without the forces of evil working against us?"

Peter snaked his arm around her middle and settled his palm against her hip. He gave her body a gentle, reassuring squeeze but didn't answer right away. It was easy for him to tell that Sydney was truly upset at the prospect of having to work for their safety but she had a point too, would they ever get to just _be_ together, without having to fight off the enemies at every turn.

Was that something that Peter really wanted?

Yes, yes it was, and the more he thought about it, the more he desired to be around for Bruin, to watch her grow up, to hear her first words and witness her first steps. He wanted to be with Sydney and his daughter, he wanted to try to be normal. Was that too much to ask?

"We should clear out my apartment." Peter stated and Sydney peered up at him, confusion evident on her face. "Unless you don't want me to move into the house."

"What?" She narrowed her eyes in on him and shook her head. "No, I absolutely want you to move in with me, but are you…you'd really give up your apartment?"

"Well there's hardly enough room there for you, me _and_ Bruin." Peter teased, Sydney fighting back the urge to smile at him. "I think when this is all over, we need to have a conversation, but I don't see why I'd need to keep the apartment."

She let out a snort of amusement and made a move to stand up but Peter tightened his grip on her waist, holding her against him and basking in her presence. He had truly missed her and when he had first believed she hadn't come looking for him, he had been a little upset, but he knew that Sydney would've done everything she could've to reach him.

She loved him, he knew that much, and there wasn't anything that she wouldn't do for him, maybe it was time that he started to think the same way.

"Let's get the hell out of here, yeah?" She pressed and made another move to get to her feet, but Peter didn't budge, no, he kept his butt firmly planted on the bench and held her right there with him.

"Sydney I-"

" _Dad!"_

What the hell, was that…it sounded like Malia. But she wasn't here, was she? Oh dear god, had the Ghost Riders taken her, had he fought valiantly only for her to be erased just like him and Sydney?

"Did you hear that?" Peter asked and looked around, searching for the familiar voice that had called out to him. "Sydney, did you…did you _hear_ that?"

"Hear what exactly?" She countered and followed his gaze around the room. "I hear a lot of weird noises, maybe you could narrow it down for me and I'll tell you-"

"Malia." Peter cut her off and she stared at him, shocked and confused by the girl's name. "You didn't hear Malia?"

"Uh no." Sydney shook her head slowly but stole another look around the train station, wanting nothing more than to lay her eyes on Peter's oldest daughter. Well, okay, that wasn't entirely true, she didn't really want to see Malia here, she would've preferred if the teen was back in Beacon Hills working on a way to get them out of here. "I didn't hear her."

"Are you sure?" Peter pressed.

"Yes." Sydney murmured in response. "Peter I didn't hear anything."

" _Dad."_

"You swear you didn't just hear that?" Peter hissed and straightened up on the bench. She followed his lead and managed to break his hold on her before clambering to her feet. If he was hearing Malia's voice, what did that mean?

What was happening and what was their next move?

" _Dad. Please wake up. Dad."_

"Peter?" Sydney ran her hand through his hair and remained standing in front of him but there was a lost look in his eyes. What exactly was he hearing, what was Malia saying to him?

And where _was_ she?

"Peter, what do we do?" Sydney whispered. "Just tell me what we do, please?"

"Sydney, I-"

" _Dad."_

Peter rose up to his feet, his eyes looking past her and Sydney cocked her head sideways. What was going on, what did he want them to do? She maintained her stance just in front of him but Peter was hardly paying her any attention, instead, he reached over, grabbed her hand and took a step away from the bench.

"Syd…" Peter trailed off and forced his claws out, driving them into her flesh. She winced but she didn't back away, no, whatever he was doing, he had a purpose and she could handle the pain, in fact, she welcomed it. "Sydney please tell me you can see her?"

Sydney widened her eyes at him but slowly turned to look over her shoulder. She felt his claws digging further and further into her flesh but it didn't matter. She could feel the blood dripping out of the punctures on her arm and dripping on to the floor but the second she laid her eyes on Malia's face, she knew that they would be okay.

They _had_ to be okay!

"How'd you get here?" Sydney barked at the teen and looked past her, taking in the sight of Lydia.

"No, they're not here." Peter spoke up. "We're…we're…"

"In the high school." Malia supplied. "And we need your help."

Sydney sucked in a breath and ripped her arm away from Peter's grasp. Her wounds healed up almost instantly, leaving only a small trail of blood to prove that he had even hurt her to start with. Peter reached out towards Malia but stopped, dropping his hand down to his side and looking at her, waiting for her to ask for whatever it was she needed.

"We need you to stop all the people from getting on the train." Lydia piped up and Sydney fought back the urge to growl at the girl. She still didn't like Lydia but now wasn't the time to get into it, no, they had a town to save, she had a family to get back to, but first, they had to stop the Ghost Riders from whatever it was they were planning.

"All the…I'm sorry, do you now realize how many there are?" Peter shot back, sarcasm lacing his tone.

"We can do it." Sydney cut in, but there was very little conviction behind her words. "Well we can try, right?"

"Attention, all passengers, the train will be arriving in twelve minutes." The eerie voice over the P.A. system sounded out in the…were they in the library, was that where they were.

Sydney let out a groan of confusion and looked around at the rows and rows of books. She shook her head, trying to get her head back in the game. It didn't matter _where_ they were, all that mattered was saving everyone, pulling each person out of the grasps of the Ghost Riders. They had faced worse before, right, _right?_

Surely this wasn't the most fearsome enemy, but Sydney felt a shiver run down her spine, reminding her that she was wearing nothing more than a borrowed sweater while she prepared to help Malia and Lydia _try_ and get all the people to stay off the train.

"Us? You want us to _stop_ them?" Peter leveled a glare on Sydney, but she didn't back down from him. "You know how many there are?"

"Yeah a lot of them so get going." Malia protested, reaching out to grab hold of him. She tugged him forward and tried to get Peter to get a move on, but he wasn't going with any sense of urgency, instead, it was almost like he didn't _want_ to help her. God, what the hell was his problem?

Reluctantly, Peter began marching through the library, Sydney following his lead but taking more time to look around them. She knew there were too many people to save but if they managed to get at least one person out of danger, wasn't that a good thing, wouldn't that be considered sort of a win?

"I can-"

"There are hundreds of waiting rooms in this train station," Peter cut Sydney off and she crossed her arms over her chest, "which apparently now also serves as a high school library. It's impossible."

"We can try." Malia ground the words out.

"We certainly can." Sydney added in, following her words up with a low growl, desperately trying to remind Peter that _she_ was the alpha. Maybe he wasn't officially part of her pack, but he was her mate, and the sooner he understood that she was in charge, the better off they'd all be.

"Where do you get this implausible optimism?" Peter quipped at Malia and Sydney rolled her eyes at him. Was now really the time to be questioning genetics?

"Definitely not from my father." Malia countered quickly.

"We don't have time for this, we need someone to just hear us." Lydia piped up. For once in her life, Sydney found herself agreeing with the strawberry blonde.

If Lydia was going to be the voice of reason, and also double as some sort of mediator, then Sydney could get behind her, at least until this all blew over. She could work with Lydia until she didn't need to anymore, surely it wouldn't be _that_ hard. They had done it before, Lydia wasn't technically the enemy, but that didn't mean she liked her.

"I think they already did." Peter spoke up calmly but Sydney could feel the breeze rushing into the room, and she could barely make out the sound of the all too familiar heavy footfalls coming their way. Sydney took a step forward and tried to get in front of Peter, and Malia. This was her job, she was the alpha, she was supposed to protect them and keep them safe.

She had to do it, her instincts kicked into overdrive and she bared her teeth, drawing out her canines. She could feel her body starting to tense but she prayed that she could control the shift enough to manage to stay human, at least for the time being.

This wasn't a fight for a wolf, this was a fight for Sydney Vance, alpha extraordinaire and fight is what she'd do. They weren't going to hurt her, they weren't going to get to Peter, and they certainly weren't going to lay a hand on Malia.

She stood poised in front of her mate, her claws out, her teeth pointed and sharp, and her eyes glowing a fierce vibrant red. The Ghost Rider closed in on her, stepping heavily and cautiously as he closed the distance between her and him.

It stopped moving and pushed its jacket back, hands immediately wrapping around the handles of his guns. Sydney sucked in a breath and let out a vicious growl, waiting for it to make a move. She wasn't going to charge first, no, she was going to wait and see if it made a move to fire the gun. If she could somehow knock the weapons from its grasp then she could gain the upper hand, she could get one up on the Ghost Rider.

Malia took a step up and stood next to her, her claws and teeth out too. She growled at the Ghost Rider, clearly following Sydney's lead, but it didn't budge, not even an inch. Whatever they did, the Ghost Rider didn't seem to be afraid, not even a little bit.

"Get behind me." Lydia stepped in front of them all and ushered her and Malia behind her. "They won't take a Banshee."

Lydia's voice cut into the air and Sydney didn't dare look at her, no she kept her eyes locked firmly on the Ghost Rider in front of them, just past Lydia. Peter was quick to take the lead and the Ghost Rider nabbed the whip off its hip, giving it a good swing. The crack of the rope was heard loud and clear and Sydney rolled her shoulders back, hoping they could survive this.

"You sure about that?" Peter countered.

Peter surged forward and made a mad slash at the oversized figure as Sydney growled once again, catching the Rider's attention. It didn't seem to bother him though, not as Peter continued to land blow after blow on it. The Ghost Rider wasn't budging, hell, Peter's hits weren't even tickling it.

Sydney sucked in a deep breath, let the air settle in her lungs and she too surged forward, joining the fight. She landed a huge kick on the Rider's hip and caused it to stumble backwards, but it didn't fall over, hell, it barely faltered at all, but it was just enough to give Peter a chance to take a breath.

He continued to fight it though, rushing forward and hitting the Ghost Rider in the face, all the while Sydney tried to help him, distracting and landing hits of her own. Slash after slash landed on the Ghost Rider's chest but Peter didn't stop, hell, the only time he even hesitated was at the sound of Malia's pained yell.

Sydney didn't stop fighting though, not as Peter abandoned the one he had been fighting to look after his wounded daughter. She made a grab for the Ghost Rider's arm and twisted it back, back some more until she swore she heard a cracking sound. The arm went limp and the gun felt from the Rider's grasp, but Sydney didn't have time to celebrate, no, she had to help the others, she had to make sure they all made it out of the library in once piece.

"Malia!" Peter called out to the werecoyote and Sydney followed his lead, watching as he set a gentle hand on Malia's back before ushering her over towards the banshee. "Lydia."

Once Malia was out of the way, Sydney felt Peter's back press against hers and she looked back at the Ghost Rider that she had thought she had eliminated from the equation. It's arm hung limply at its side but it was still coming at her, still moving towards her, all the while Peter faced a second Ghost Rider, the very one who had managed to land his whip on Malia's arm in the first place.

"Jesus Christ, where are they coming from?" Sydney hissed and moved in a circle, following Peter's lead. The two of them rotated, taking in the sight of the other Ghost Rider, and she felt a little bit better knowing Peter would be taking on the one with the broken arm.

If she could just inflict more damage, if she could slow them down enough that they could get out of here, then she'd be golden. But she knew it wasn't going to be that easy, she knew it never was.

"I love you." Sydney said softly and firmly. "So much, okay. We can do this."

"I know." Peter replied and reached a hand back, his palm ghosting down her forearm. "I love you too."

He surged in one direction while she moved in the other, pausing only to steal a quick glance back at him. Peter used the end of one of the benches to send himself flying into the air, his foot hitting the injured Ghost Rider in the center of the chest.

She didn't have time to praise him, no, she continued moving for her battle partner, dropping down and going for its knees. She took the legs out from under him, sending the Ghost Rider crumbling to the floor, but he was quick to make his way to his feet, lifting his arm back and preparing himself to take a chance at whipping her.

Sydney let out a growl and flinched as Peter's body collided with the hard tiled ground before brushing against the backs of her calves. She crouched down and hauled him to his feet, giving him a shove forward, throwing him in the direction of the weakened Ghost Rider.

Sydney managed to duck out of the way as Peter tossed the one Ghost Rider in her direction, but instead of hitting her, it collapsed against his partner, the two of them taking steps backwards in order to remain upright.

Jumping in, Sydney grabbed the good arm of the wounded Ghost Rider and pulled it backwards, catching his attention and forcing his arm in an unnatural angle. She heard a popping noise and when the Ghost Rider let out an ear piercing cry, she knew that it was her that was winning.

Peter seemed to be faring well too, he was managing to fight off the second one, throwing it away from him and attacking, launching himself up into the air before coming down, his kicks landing on the Ghost Rider's core.

They were a team, they were a great pair, and Sydney couldn't help but feel a little bit elated at how well they were working to take on the Ghost Riders. She knew they were strong, she knew she could fight just as good as the next guy, but for her and Peter to be working so effortlessly together just solidified that he was her perfect match.

With his Ghost Rider in a headlock, Sydney darted over towards Peter and took a jab at the Ghost Rider's knees, dropping him to the floor while Peter maintained the death grip he had on the thing's neck.

Peter, using every last ounce of strength he had, lifted the thing up and tossed it over himself backwards. Sydney sidled up next to him but she wasn't expecting the second Ghost Rider to come at them, especially not with both of his arms hanging like dead weight at his side.

"God these guys just keep fucking coming." Sydney cried out and felt Peter's hand press gently against her hip, shielding her behind him.

The Ghost Rider came right for him and dropped him to the ground, but before Sydney could make a move to help him, he waved her off and pointed frantically in Malia's direction.

What the hell, did he really think she was going to just leave him, did he really thing that after not having him with her for so long that she was going to just let him handle the Ghost Riders on his own?

The one Ghost Rider circled his hand around Peter's neck and easily lifted him up off the ground, whizzing around to slam Peter's back against the thick column nearby. She held her breath and waited for an in but Peter beat her to it, he opened his mouth and struggled to get the words out through his airway, which was currently being cut off slowly.

"Sydney, go." He snarled at her from his spot against the column, but she shook her head, silently arguing with him and waiting for just the right second to strike. "Go! Sydney, get Malia and go!"

She could hear Malia and Lydia's footsteps retreating but she wasn't about to leave him. She watched on as the Ghost Rider tossed him towards the bench, Peter's back colliding with the heavy wooden seat. Any normal person would've been winded by an impact like that, but Peter wasn't any normal person, _and_ he had Sydney right there with him.

With a low, ferocious growl, Sydney charged at the two Ghost Riders but the one without the busted arms was already on Peter, his hands back around his neck. She went after him but was stopped by his partner, struggling desperately to get away while Peter was hoisted into the air by his neck, his feet dangling a good three feet over the floor.

Sydney widened her jaw and snapped at the Ghost Rider, landing her bite on its arm, but it was already wounded, the limb already useless. Immediately pulling back, she spit out the nasty, rotting taste and shook her head, hoping to pull herself together long enough to get away from this thing.

She lifted her leg up and pressed the bottom of her foot against its hip, using everything she had to force it backwards.

"Peter!" Sydney screeched and sent the Ghost Rider reeling backwards by the pure shrillness of her tone. She dove forward and tackled it to the floor, just barely catching Malia's guttural roar from the doorway of the library.

They were in this together, they were going to get Peter out of here alive and nothing was going to get in their way. She could work with Malia, she knew that she was fierce and she was one hell of a fighter, yes, Sydney was lucky that they were on the same team.

Sydney managed to rush away from her Ghost Rider and threw herself in Peter's direction, Malia already on her way. The two of them attacked at the same time, Malia wrapping her arms around the thing's waist while Sydney extended her fist up to punch the Ghost Rider in the throat. Peter fell to the floor and crumpled into a heap, but she could hear him breathing, she could tell he was alive- winded and achy but alive.

Malia continued to go to town on the Ghost Rider while Sydney helped Peter to his feet. Once she was sure he could stand on his own, she gave him a gentle pat on the back and took off in a fierce run, joining Malia in the melee.

Peter was right there behind them, making his own attacks on the broken Ghost Rider, keeping it occupied while Sydney and Malia tried desperately to stop them from fighting back. Sydney jumped up and caught her arm on the Ghost Rider's neck, and she pulled, not giving up as Malia went low and swiped her leg out, dropping the thing to the ground while Sydney continued to hold on to its neck. She wrapped her arms tight around it and squeezed, desperately trying to snap its spine and when Malia came up next to her and helped her twist the Ghost Rider's head, Sydney knew they were nearing the end of their fight.

The loud, grotesque cracking of the bones in the Ghost Rider's spine sounded out in the library and the body went limp in Sydney's arms. She hesitantly let go and the Rider slumped to the floor, but she remained poised and ready to fight in case it wasn't over. Malia pressed her back against Sydney's and covered her from behind, watching as Peter worked away at finishing off the other Ghost Rider, who was currently on its knees on the floor, Peter with his hands around its neck.

After a few seconds, and the Ghost Rider not moving, Sydney concluded that they could move on, they could go over and help Peter. Malia took off first and lunged at it, her arm catching the Rider on the chin and flipping it onto its back. Peter jumped on top of the Rider and pressed his forearm across its throat, cutting off its airway just like it had tried to do to Peter.

Sydney glanced around the room for some sort of weapon but nothing caught her attention, nothing except for the benches, which lined the floor. She lifted her leg up and drove the heel of her foot into the seat part of the bench, the wood splintering from the impact and providing the alpha female with a relatively decent sized wooden spike.

"Malia!" Sydney cried out and as soon as the girl was looking at her, she tossed the pointed chunk of wood over to her, wincing as the sharp, narrowed end of it was driven into the Ghost Rider's skull, the hat he wore falling to the floor. When the Ghost Rider stilled, she moved over to the others and set her hand on Peter's back, letting out a sigh of relief as he rose up to his full height, Malia following suit.

"Are they…are they _dead_?" Sydney quipped and Peter's arm came around her back, holding her tight against him. "Or…or do they come back?"

"Let's not stick around to find out." Malia countered and looked at Sydney and her father, finally taking in the sight of her standing there in nothing more than a sweater, her bare feet catching the girl's attention.

"You wouldn't happen to have some spare clothes in your locker, would you?" Sydney asked but felt a little bit better at the sound of Peter's scoff.

They had managed to kick the Ghost Riders butts, but the fight was far from over. They still needed to figure out how to save the rest of Beacon Hills.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Oh man, you guys...I'm so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I kept putting it off because I was struggling to figure out what I wanted to do and I just lost track of time. Please forgive me, and I hope that Sydney and Peter kicking butt will start to make up for the long, LONG wait I put you guys through!_**


	26. Chapter 26

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 26** **:**

"God your shorts are so _tight_." Sydney hissed as she pulled at the hem of the shorts that Malia had produced from her locker. "How do you even breathe in these things?"

"Maybe I'm smaller than you." Malia countered and Sydney snorted at her in response. While Malia was very in shape and decently slim, Sydney was fully aware that she wasn't bigger than her, and even if she was, it wouldn't be by much. Malia wore her shorts much too tight, as was evident by the figure hugging bottoms she was currently wearing.

"Have you considered buying bigger clothes, trust me, they'd be a _lot_ more comfortable." Sydney mumbled as she trekked along behind her and Peter. Wherever they were going, Sydney wasn't sure, but she knew that she was feeling much more secure now that she had real clothes on, even if they weren't exactly the right size.

The top she was wearing was a drab grey t-shirt, which doubled as Malia's gym shirt, but it hugged Sydney in all the right places. She hadn't neglected the borrowed sweater though, it was just another layer of security for her, plus it had lasted this long, she wasn't going to give it up now.

"Clothes aren't really at the top of my priority list." Malia shot back, pausing in her walking to glance back at Sydney, who let out a low growl in protest. While Malia had a point, it wasn't like there had been dangers every single second since she had been reverted back to human from her animal form, which she had spent years as running wild.

Surely she could've found _some_ time to go shopping, no?

"Clearly you've never run around naked in someone else's clothes." Sydney mumbled and reached her hand out, gently taking hold of Peter's wrist. She moved along with him, the two of them following Malia, who was apparently leading them to wherever they needed to be. "Where are we going?"

"To find Scott." Malia answered simply and that was enough for Sydney. If that's where Malia wanted them to go, then that's exactly where she'd follow. Scott might need their help, and right now, Sydney wasn't going to object. He always seemed to know what he was up against, and he cared about Stiles more than anyone, surely if they were going to get their human back, he was the one who would lead that charge.

Sydney shook her head and focused her attention on the task at hand. She knew the werecoyote was tracking her alpha by scent, but there was something funny lingering in the air, something that didn't smell quite right. But what exactly was it, what was so-

"Theo." Sydney hissed and came to a complete halt. She peered around the woods and tried to pinpoint his scent, curious to find out what his game plan was. Liam had mentioned that Theo could help them, but that didn't mean that Sydney trusted him.

Theo was a bad seed, he had tried to kill Scott, he had hurt Stiles, and he was at the top of her list of enemies, which was apparently growing by the day.

"You can smell Theo?" Malia tossed out and Sydney narrowed her eyes in on the girl with them. With a nod of her head, she forced her canines out and brought her alpha red irises to surface, ready to face the kid that she had vowed would die by her hand all those months ago. "Okay, no, no you don't get to-"

"Easy there!" Theo's voice cut in and he stepped out from the brush, walking out in front of them, giving Sydney a look at him. "I'm not here to hurt you."

Sydney made a move to take a step towards him but Peter tugged on her arm, drawing her back and studying the stranger in front of him. Yes, Theo was new to him, he hadn't ever had a chance to see this kid up close and personal. It was apparent to him that Sydney didn't care for this Theo guy, but maybe he could be of use to them, maybe he wasn't as bad as she thought.

He didn't have all the information though, he didn't know the details about why Sydney despised him so much, he just knew that the woman that he loved was on edge around this newcomer and he wasn't about to get in between them.

"You're-"

"I'm on your side here." Theo cut her off and Sydney let out a growl, not appreciating the fact that he had interrupted her. "I want to get rid of the Ghost Riders just as bad as you guys."

"We don't have time for this." Malia piped up and motioned toward the path in front of her. She took a step forward but no one else seemed to move, Theo was rooted to the spot and Sydney was watching him like a predator stalking their prey. "Guys!"

"She has a point." Peter threw in. "Let's go."

Sydney let a low growl reverberate over her lips and when Theo made a move to follow Malia, she fell in step with Peter, staring at his back from behind him. She didn't trust Theo, she didn't _want_ to work with him, she just wanted to rip him apart and teach him a lesson. He didn't belong here, he wasn't part of anyone's pack, and she would make sure he knew that, just as soon as the bigger threat was taken care of.

Sydney's spine tingled at the sound of two ferocious roars from not too far in front of them. She knew that one was Scott's but she wasn't familiar with the first roar, the more powerful, louder one. What did that mean? Who was Scott up against?

Wasn't this supposed to be a Ghost Rider fight? Did they have wolves with them, did they have allies that could shift just like the rest of them? Or was there someone else they were going to face once they finally managed to lay their eyes on Scott McCall?

"What the hell?" Sydney barked and Theo shot her a knowing smirk over his shoulder, not even slowing down as he and Malia continued to trek in the lead.

"Douglas, the Nazi werewolf." Theo answered and Sydney's eyes widened in complete and utter shock. "He's behind all this."

"I'm sorry, a Nazi werewolf?" Sydney shot back.

"Well he's a little more than _just_ that." Theo let out a low chuckle and turned back around to face forward. Sydney looked sideways as Peter and let out a sigh, but he was focused on Malia, who was walking with the guy that he knew only as Sydney's enemy. Did he not trust Theo around his daughter or was he trying to gage him, was Peter trying to figure out how Theo ticked and what he was capable of? "But yeah, a Nazi."

Peter carried on walking though, pulling Sydney along with him. He wasn't going to walk away from this, not until he knew Malia was safe. Once they finally ended things with the Ghost Riders, then he'd relax, but until that time came, he wasn't going to abandon her, not again, not like he had done all those years ago (even if it wasn't entirely his fault).

"Nazi." Sydney mumbled, shaking her head in total disbelief. "Is he serious?"

"I guess there's only one way to find out." Peter answered with a half-hearted shrug. "Come on."

Sydney blew out a breath and tagged along with him. They were getting closer and closer to Scott, as was evident by the increasing strength of his scent. Sydney didn't hardly need to focus on it to smell it, no, she could sense him too. They were close, and the sooner they could get to Scott, the better a chance the true alpha would have.

They'd be hard to beat: Scott, a true alpha; Sydney, an alpha female; Peter, a former alpha; Malia, who never gave up; and Theo, who had almost succeeded in getting rid of Scott permanently. Surely they could kick this Nazi wolf's ass, unless…unless he wasn't alone.

Was that even possible though, was this Douglas person, the one that Theo spoke of, able to control the Ghost Riders, get them to fight his battle for him? Would they be able to take on a horde of Ghost Riders _and_ the Nazi werewolf?

Sydney didn't know, but she knew they were probably going to find out.

Scott's roars and growls were heard through the trees and she wasn't sure what they were supposed to do. Malia and Theo were still just ahead of them but neither one of them leapt forward, jumping to Scott's rescue, not yet anyways. Sydney blew out a breath and gripped Peter's hand, giving it a squeeze to remind him that she was right there. She needed to feel him too, wanting to know that he was by her side and ready to fight along with her.

"I don't like this." Sydney whispered and gave his hand yet another squeeze. "Like _at_ all."

"Me neither." Peter agreed.

They quickly approached the edge of the forest which led into a clearing. Sydney spotted exactly what she had been fearing and with each Ghost Rider that she spotted, the more uneasy she became. There were too many of them; the best way to describe them was an army. Yes, this Nazi werewolf had an army of Ghost Riders with him, well shit, they didn't really stand a chance, did they?

But if they didn't give it their all, then the entire town of Beacon Hills would be doomed. Bruin would grow up without knowing either of her parents, and that wasn't something that Sydney wanted to happen.

"Let's go." Theo growled and moved forward, rushing through the final few trees.

Sydney swore she heard a German accented voice taunting Scott, "unbelievable, even in the face of insurmountable odds, I don't know if it's suicide or stupidity, maybe both."

Both, definitely both, but what other choice did Scott have? If he didn't fight, everyone would die. If he didn't try to take on this Douglas character, and his army of Ghost Riders, then all of his friends and family would be damned.

"Either way, I'm getting to that diverter." Scott countered, his voice confident and almost scary with how desperate he was to beat this guy.

"You of all people, Scott, should know what happens to a lone wolf." Douglas continued to taunt him, egging him on. Sydney knew what he was trying to do, he was trying to distract, cause him to be messy. Scott would fight with his emotions, he would no doubt make mistakes, but that was what pack was for, they'd be there to pick up the pieces, to help him get through, even if it was by the skin of his teeth.

"He's not alone." Theo yelled from the trees before he stalked out, making himself known to the Nazi werewolf. "He's got a pack."

"Theo's not in it." Malia threw out, following his lead and making her presence know. "But I am."

Peter let go of Sydney and stepped out behind Malia, apparently not even bothering to hesitate, "I'm not…in the pack but no one likes a Nazi."

Sydney rolled her shoulders back and stepped out too, locking eyes with the Nazi werewolf, who's shifted form reminded her a _lot_ of Deucalion's.

"I'm going to destroy you." Sydney threw out and widened her eyes, forcing her red irises to glow bright in the dark night. She bared her teeth, let out a growl and readied herself to fight.

Scott roared at the man across from them, the man who stood in front of many, many Ghost Riders. God damn, they were in for one hell of a fight, but Sydney was practically itching to get her hands on someone. When the Nazi wolf, who's eyes were an eerily glowing green, lowered his arm, silently commanding his army to attack, she surged forward and linebacker tackled the first Ghost Rider she came into contact with.

Gunshots sounded out all around her and the cracking of whips was too close for comfort but Sydney wasn't going to stop, she wasn't going to give up. She kept moving towards them, her body colliding with the front of the man's army.

The first one went down hard, and she quickly placed a clawed hand on either side of its head, twisting it and snapping its spine before she rose up to her feet. She went right for the next one, blasting it in the shins with a swift kick and it fell to the ground, but she didn't get a chance to break the spine.

It was back to its feet before Sydney could say a word, but without getting a chance to come after her, Peter whipped along beside her and took him down, the Ghost Rider's body crumpling to the ground. She flashed him an appreciative smile and rolled her shoulders back, baring her teeth as he fell in beside her.

She pivoted and pressed her back against his, the two of them taking a second to gage the size of the threat they were up against. She felt Peter roll his shoulders back and she heard him let out a feral growl before matching it with one of her own. This was their fight to lose and she wasn't going to back down.

They could do this, they could hold them off, they had too. The entire fate of Beacon Hills resided on their shoulders. Sydney reached a hand back and gave his side a reassuring pat before she surged forward and made a move to bring down another Ghost Rider.

She managed to get him off his feet but before she could land on top of him and break his neck, Peter beat her to it, landing a huge kick against his stomach and kicked him in the side of the head, sending his neck reeling. She didn't have a chance to celebrate before another Ghost Rider was on her, whipping at her with a dire attempt to wrap the thick rope around her. Peter pushed her out of the way, the two of them falling to the ground, and Sydney reached her hands out, grabbing the Ghost Rider's foot and yanking with as much strength as she could muster.

Peter hopped up and drove his foot into the Ghost Rider's neck as he fell, the thing's back colliding with the ground. She heard the familiar crack and let out a growl. Once he stopped moving, the two of them moved on, taking on Ghost Rider after Ghost Rider until they were overcome by the sheer number of them surrounding the pack.

Theo came up behind her and jumped in front of the one Ghost Rider who was aiming right for Sydney. He knocked him off kilter and sent him reeling backwards before Peter jumped up and landed kick after kick on his chest. As soon as Theo was sure that Sydney was good, he backtracked and left her to fight on her own once again.

"Peter!" She yelled out for him and ran to have his back. Once she got to where he was, she slipped under his arms and pressed forward, growling and snarling as she fought and clawed and punched at the never ending army of Ghost Riders.

"Your little friends are no match for the Wild Hunt. There are too many of us and too few of you." Douglas' voice was barely heard above the sheer chaos of the fight but Sydney didn't appreciate his words.

They could do this, they could end this, they just needed to figure out the army's weak points. Maybe if they took out Douglas, maybe if they eliminated the leader, then the army wouldn't know what to do, maybe that was the angle they needed to play.

Sydney swerved to get over towards Scott to help him but Peter latched his hand onto her arm and spun her around, throwing her at the oncoming Ghost Riders. She braced herself and shoulder checked the first one she collided with before hoisting her body up and kicking another one square in the throat.

How could Douglas say they were no match for them, Sydney knew that she had already killed a bunch of them, were there really _that_ many Ghost Riders that they couldn't handle it?

She spun around and took a split second look at the amount of the Ghost Riders around them and she shuddered at the thought. God, there were _so_ many and Sydney suddenly felt like Douglas wasn't wrong. They were fucked, well and truly fucked.

What _were_ they trying to accomplish here, surely they were fighting a losing battle.

Did that mean she was going to give up though, no, not yet. She had everything to lose here and she wasn't going to stop fighting.

"God damnit!" Sydney growled and leapt up, heading for the nearest Ghost Rider, Peter right there with her. "This is exhausting."

"Keep fighting." Peter urged her on and she sucked it up, getting ready to fight for as long her body would let her.

Sydney stiffened at the sound of a train horn echoing into the night and she froze for a split second, but it was enough. One of the Ghost Riders landed a hit on the back of her neck and she flew forward, colliding with a tree. Peter was right there by her side and he set his arm across her back, shielding her from the Ghost Rider whose current sights were set on her.

"Motherfucker!" Sydney screamed and whipped her entire body around, her claws were out and she slashed at its throat, ripping through its rotted and sinewy flesh.

She didn't get a chance to watch him raise his hands and grasp at his throat before another one was on her. She slashed and hit, and kicked and screamed, as she made her way through the army, Peter right there with her. She wasn't going down, she wasn't going to let these Ghost Riders get the upper hand, she wasn't going to let the Nazi wolf win.

She was going to fight like the alpha that she was, she was going to decimate as many of the Ghost Riders as she could.

The train closed in on them, the horn getting louder, and just before it had a chance to run right through them, Scott managed to pull the lever on the diverter, sending the locomotive reeling to the side. Was that the goal? Had they won?

Did this mean that the war was over?

Slowly but surely the Ghost Riders stopped fighting back and Sydney backed down, stepping away from them as she tried to locate Peter. He was lying on the ground, blood dripping from the scrapes on his face, but he was breathing. Yes, he was alive, thank god, and thank god that no one else had died, no one except a few of the Ghost Riders.

She dropped to a crouch beside him and helped him up to his feet, letting him lean against her as she supported him. She would always support him, nothing would ever change that.

When the two of them managed to get upright, she looked around and furrowed her eyebrows at the complete and utter lack of Ghost Riders in the vicinity. Where had they gone, had they all just _disappeared_?

"You missed your train." Malia called out, her voice carrying in the sudden quiet of the night.

As Scott threw his head back, letting out a loud, menacing roar, Sydney's spine stiffened and she shook her head, trying to hold Peter upright. She wasn't sure what he was doing but it didn't matter to her, so long as the Ghost Riders weren't after them anymore.

"Where are you going?" Douglas cried out and suddenly Sydney laid her eyes on the enemy. He looked utterly scared as Scott and the rest of them stood in front of him, waiting for him to make a move. He didn't have his army any more, he was all alone, against six capable supernatural creatures.

Nazi guy didn't stand a chance.

"You're a motherfucker." Sydney hissed at the green eyed monster but she looked past him and watched as the Ghost Riders reappeared in her line of sight.

They were making no moves to go after them though, no, they were walking around them, avoiding them like the plague as they continued to wander along the railroad tracks, moving away from the fight, each and every one holstering their weapons. She cocked her head sideways and just watched, wondering where they were going but not caring enough to do anything about it.

They were leaving, that was the important thing.

Sydney couldn't help but take in the contours of the man's face, which was no longer in the shift. If he hadn't been crazy and evil, she might've found him attractive, but here he was, standing in front of them trying to get the Ghost Riders to listen to him once again.

Who _was_ this guy, where had he come from? Why was he after Scott anyways? God how did someone as naïve and innocent as Scott McCall manage to rack up so many enemies within the timeframe of a few years?

"Stop. Zuruckkommen." Douglas commanded, using words that she figured were German. "Come back and kill them. Tote sie."

None of the Ghost Riders did anything but continued to walk away, which made Sydney wonder what was about to happen?

"Yeah, call your army back." Theo taunted, breaking her from her thoughts. "Or don't they listen to you?"

"Who _do_ they listen to?" Sydney asked in a whisper, directing her question in Peter's direction.

"Not him." Peter answered as best as he could.

"I am your leader. Ich bin dein Anfuhrer! Obey me. Gehorcht mir." Douglas continued to call out and scream at the Ghost Riders, even going as far as to turn his back to Scott and the others. Sydney wasn't sure what his plan was, but it seemed to be falling apart, second by second.

All of a sudden, the remaining Ghost Riders that _had_ been retreating stopped dead in their tracks. They turned around and faced Douglas, their creepy faces locked on his. She shivered at the thought of him somehow managing to regain control but when none of them made a move to grab their guns or whips, she blew out a breath, hoping they weren't going to start another fight.

"Kill them." Douglas instructed and swiftly turned back around to face Scott, his eyes locked with the true alpha's. "All of them. Tote sie. Tote sie."

"What part of 'you're a motherfucker' didn't you understand?" Sydney growled and poised herself, getting ready to stand her ground. "I'm still going to destroy you."

The Ghost Riders carefully marched back along the tracks, closing in on Douglas. Once a few of them were just past him, they turned on their heels and surrounded the man, creating a Ghost Rider circle all around him. Sydney tipped her head sideways and watched on in awe as fear slowly crept across Douglas' face.

"Riders don't bow, they have no leader." Peter stated from his spot next to her. She held her breath and prayed that he knew what he was talking about and as the Ghost Riders moved in closer to the Nazi werewolf, she found herself wondering where he had gained all of his knowledge from, and was he willing to share it with her?

Her eyes widened in absolute horror as the attractively evil man that had tried to kill them seconds before turned into one of the very Ghost Riders. His hands were covered in worn old leather gloves and the skin on his face started to go stringy. It looked like it was turning to tree bark, but Sydney knew better, it was turning into the undead, supernatural flesh of a Ghost Rider.

What the hell was going on? She held her breath and watched as the man's eyes turned into deep, cavernous holes, once again, just like the Ghost Riders. They closed in on him, erasing him from her sight and when they finally backed away, she shuddered to think about what sort of fate he was doomed to live out.

On his one arm was a band, with the infamous Nazi symbol very visible. Sucking in a breath, Sydney took a step back and relaxed, hoping that this meant their night was almost over. She wanted to go home, she wanted to get in contact with her family and tell them it was all over, that they could come back to Beacon Hills, where it was _safe_.

"God." Sydney shook her head. "What an asshole."

The Nazi Ghost Rider threw his head back and let out an ear piercing shriek, Sydney shuddering at the sound. She backed away and grabbed hold of Peter's hand, tucking herself behind him. Within seconds, the sky above them seemed to clear up and the stormy atmosphere disappeared, filling Sydney with a sense of relief.

"Let's go home." Peter murmured to her, pressing a kiss against the side of her head as he hugged Sydney tight.

"Yes please." She whispered back to him and settled into his hold, hoping that this was it for them. She didn't want to deal with any more threats, she just wanted to enjoy the rest of her life with Peter, Bruin and her pack. "Let's go call my pack, tell them that we've saved the day."

"Hopefully for the last time." Peter breathed, his hand running up and down her back. She felt her heart beat in tune with his and reveled in the fact that after everything, she had gotten Peter back.

Had it been worth the effort?

Definitely.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thank you to BeccaSco, your reviews are always so wonderful!_**

 ** _What did you guys think of this installment?_**

 ** _Thoughts on Theo? Do you think he'd make a good addition to Sydney's pack or do you think she should maintain her dislike of him?_**


	27. Chapter 27

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 27** **:**

Sydney shook her head as she wandered into her room wearing nothing more than a towel. After the hectic few days she had been through, and walking around naked more often than she would've liked, a shower had definitely been in order. Her hair was wet but her body was dry and when she spotted Peter lying on her bed looking peaceful as all get out, she let out a soft sigh of relief and closed in on him.

Lowering herself down on the edge of the bed, she reached a hand out and ran it over his arm, drawing his attention to her. With her other hand, she clutched the towel against her chest and stared at him, waiting for him to speak first. She didn't know what to say to him, she didn't know what was on his mind, all she did know was that she was glad they were both safely in her house, waiting for the rest of the pack to get back.

Calling Derek had been something she did as soon as they stepped in the house and he had answered immediately. She would've called Charlie but she didn't want to disturb her if she was still driving. Derek had stated that they were almost in Colorado and they were going to continue on to her place, give Charlie a chance to visit her dad quick and even grab some more of her stuff.

The pack was then going to take their time getting back to Beacon Hills but he planned on being back within a few days. Thank god for that, Sydney was already missing her baby girl, but she wasn't about to take for granted the time she could spend with Peter, the two of them alone together. It was much needed, and now, as she looked down at him, staring into his eyes, she felt her body calm down almost instantly.

This was the man she loved, the man she would forever spend her life with. Peter Hale was everything she had ever wanted and the fact that she had managed to find him was a miracle in itself. He wasn't someone that she would've thought twice about had she not needed a place to stay all that time ago. Yet here she was, sharing a life with him.

"Did anything happen to Kate while I was gone?" Peter asked, surprising Sydney with his choice of question. She cocked her head to the side and considered how to appropriately answer.

She really didn't _know_ what had happened to Kate. Yes Chris had mentioned that he was going to go after her but no one had said anything about her. Was she still alive? Was she imprisoned somewhere or had they hunted her down and killed her?

"You'd have to ask Chris that." Sydney supplied and removed her hand from his arm.

"Right." Peter nodded his head and shifted his entire body so that he was sitting up, his back against the headboard while his butt was cushioned by the pillows. She turned her body to face him more head on and she took her bottom lip in between her teeth, something that Peter had desperately missed while he had been without her. "Are you and Argent close?"

"I don't know." Sydney offered with a shrug. "We're sort of allies, but we had to be, for Isaac."

Peter gave another nod of his head, this time not saying anything in response. He had missed so much, there was so much that he was new to. Sydney had her own pack, which she had managed to get without him, what other sorts of things did she not need him for? God he hated how easily she seemed to manage on her own. They were mated, he should've been there for her through everything, but he hadn't been.

He had been locked away because of choices that he had made. He had turned his back on Sydney, he had been the one to try and kill Scott, he had been the one who had teamed up with Kate (someone that Sydney despised). Then when he _had_ managed to get out of Eichen House, he was the one who had been taken by the Ghost Riders. What the hell had he been thinking?

"Do you really think you'd be content here?" Sydney asked in a whisper and Peter leaned forward, closing the distance between him and her. He offered her his hand and she took it, holding it against her chest and letting her eyes fall shut.

He had mentioned moving in with her but that was during the heat of a moment. Now things had severely calmed down and she wasn't too confident that he wouldn't change his mind. If he didn't feel comfortable with her pack, then chances were good he'd do everything he could to separate her from them.

That wasn't something Sydney wanted though. She wanted Peter to be a part of the pack, she wanted the pack to accept him as one of their own. Why couldn't they all just work together, why couldn't they all just get along?

"I'd be content anywhere that you are." Peter stated, and she could tell by his tone that he was being genuine. Slowly a smile spread out over her face and she shook her head in amusement.

It was cheesy, yes, but it was exactly what she needed to hear. She belonged with Peter Hale, she did, and there wasn't anything that would ever change that. They were mates, they were parents, what was stopping them from having everything they could ever want now that the Ghost Riders were gone?

"You're smooth." Sydney teased and dropped her head down, peering at her bare knees. Peter's free hand extended out to her and his palm came to rest on her thigh, his thumb gently moving in circles against her skin. "I'm so glad that you're here."

Moving his hand away from her thigh, he gently tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his eyes. She held her breath and watched as he forced out his icy blue irises, the colour almost hypnotizing to her. She loved his eyes, she loved everything about him, and god she loved the fact that he was right here with her, not trying to push her to get the hell out of the house and away from her pack.

"I'm glad I'm here too."

"You better be." She joked and turned her back to him, scooting over on the bed so that her back was flush against his chest. His arms came around her waist and he held her against him, relishing in the feel of her body against his. "If you want to, the offer to go into my memories still stands. You can see Bruin, if you want?"

Peter lowered his head and pressed a kiss against her shoulder, even going as far as to graze his teeth over her skin. She shuddered in his hold but didn't move a muscle, waiting for him to continue his erotic assault on her skin. When he put pressure on her shoulder and broke the skin, she felt her stomach flutter, as if it was suddenly full of butterflies.

Reluctantly, Peter freed his teeth from her flesh and straightened up, moving just far enough away from her that he couldn't bite her again.

"Maybe some other time. I think for now I just want to create memories of my own with you and our daughter."

Sydney let out a sigh and nodded her head, understanding where he was coming from. She figured he wouldn't want to mix up her memories and his but part of her was disappointed. She wanted him to see Bruin as a wee little baby, when she was first born. She wanted him to see Sydney with the baby for the first little while when everything she did, she was anxious to do in case it was wrong.

She wanted Peter to witness how much her pack truly meant to her and how often they had been there to keep her sane.

"What about Malia?" Sydney asked in a voice barely louder than a whisper. "What are you going to do about her?"

"She has a father who raised her, I think, for now, I'll just leave the ball in her court."

"You're not going to go after her or anything?" Sydney cocked her head sideways.

"No." Peter let out a sigh of his own. "I want to get to know Bruin, I'm not going to abandon her like I did you."

Sydney nodded her head in understanding and sucked in a breath of air. God it was good to have Peter back, and even though he had missed so much, she was thankful that he had come back into her life in time to witness a lot of Bruin's first. The baby hadn't started to walk or talk yet, which was fortunate for Peter, nor had Bruin done anything supernatural related, aside from having red flicker through her eyes every so often.

Perhaps Peter was here for good, perhaps he was a changed man. Surely spending any amount of time in Eichen House would put things into perspective. He deserved to be happy too and now that he was with Sydney, she wasn't going to let him go, never again.

His arms on her waist tightened and she curled up into his hold, releasing her hold on the towel. It remained covering her, keeping her modest, but Peter was quick to grab the edge of it, grinning at her as she met his eyes.

"You said something about the pack not coming back for a few days." Peter growled and she felt her spine straighten. "Why don't we make the most of our time alone?"

"Oh my god." She murmured with a shake of her head but Peter was undeterred. "I mean, I guess I could spend some time with you seeing as it's been months and all."

"Hmm," Peter buried his nose against the side of her neck, "the longest months of my life. I'm really glad that you found me."

"Me too." Sydney mumbled and let his hands peel the towel away from her. She felt it brush against her skin as it fell to the floor and before she could stop herself, she was clawing at the hem of his t-shirt, forcing it upwards and over his head, Peter helping her the entire way. "I love you."

"I love you so much Sydney, more than you'll ever know." Peter whispered in response and his hands went to his belt, his fingers fumbling with the buckle. She watched on in eager anticipation and moved onto her knees, leaning towards him and pressing her hands against his shoulder. When he tipped his head back, he was looking into her alpha eyes, his lips curling upwards into a knowing smirk.

"Just shut up and fuck me." Sydney countered, a mischievous sparkle in her eye. It had been way too long and he wasn't going to make her wait much longer.

God he loved this woman, he loved her with everything he had and maybe he had made some bad choices in the past, it didn't matter now. He was going to do everything he could to make it up to her for as long as they had together. He wanted to be with her for years to come, he wanted to see what she'd do with her life, with her pack, with her strength. Most importantly, he wanted to see what she'd do with Bruin.

Their daughter was all that mattered to him, he wasn't going to make the same mistakes with her as he did with Malia, or even Sydney.

Oh yes, Sydney…Sydney Vance. She was an amazing woman and he was all hers. How had he gotten so lucky, what had he done to deserve a female like Sydney?

"Can you…can you do me a favour?" Sydney questioned, taking her lip between her teeth. Peter widened his eyes and stared at her, his hands stopping their work on his belt. "Bite me, like everywhere?"

Peter slowly nodded his head yes.

There wasn't a damn thing that he wouldn't do for her, not now, not ever.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Charlie was anxious but more importantly she was excited. She was back in Beacon Hills, Sydney's car parked relatively well in the driveway and Derek had just pulled in behind her. From the small amount of communication she had had with Sydney over the past few days, she knew that her alpha had won, they had defeated the Ghost Riders and made Beacon Hills safe again, well for the time being.

Beacon Hills was a strange town but Charlie loved it there. She loved her friends, she loved Scott's pack being there, she loved the fact that Isaac had come here all the way from France. Yes, there wasn't a single thing about Beacon Hills that she didn't like- well, okay, she definitely missed her dad, but he was just a phone call away, if she needed him, he'd be by her side as soon as he possibly could.

She rather liked the idea of her father having some time on his own. She knew he hadn't been serious with a woman since her mother had died and that was years, and years ago. He deserved a chance to live his own life and Charlie was thankful that she had managed to find Sydney in this world.

With her heart pounding against her chest, she threw open the driver's side door and hopped out, slamming it shut behind her. Charlie rushed up to the front of the house and set her hand on the knob but before she had a chance to turn it, the door flew open and Sydney stood there, a grin on her face.

"You!" Sydney gasped and immediately took Charlie into a hug, squeezing her tight as she swayed back and forth. "You- god I'm so glad you're okay!"

Charlie cautiously hugged the alpha back and relaxed into her arms, letting her eyes fall shut as a sense of peace flooded through her body. Oh boy, if Sydney was this glad to know that Charlie was safe- well Charlie was even more excited to find out that Sydney was alive and unharmed, and that no one else had died in the process.

Okay, except for Douglas, he was gone, he was a Ghost Rider, but he was a bad guy and he probably deserved whatever he got.

When Sydney finally peeled herself away from Charlie, she latched her hand onto hers and stood in front of her, scanning her for any sort of wounds or injuries.

"I brought your car back in one piece." Charlie announced and waved a hand towards the driveway. "Not a scratch on it."

Sydney chuckled at her beta's statement and pulled her in for another hug, burying her nose against the top of Charlie's head, inhaling the familiar scent of her only female beta. Sydney let her eyes fall shut and basked in the fact that none of her pack had gotten hurt, no one that she cared for had gotten hurt.

"Syd?" Derek's voice broke out through the air and Sydney reluctantly peeled herself away from Charlie, peering down the steps at Derek, who was waltzing towards the porch with Bruin tucked in his arms.

Sydney rushed forward and gently nabbed her baby girl out of his hands before leaning into his chest. It was at that moment that Peter poked his head out the front door, immediately locking eyes with Charlie, who merely grinned at him. He hesitantly offered the girl his hand to shake but Charlie lunged for him, hugging him tight.

Peter stiffened in the girl's hold but after a few awkward seconds, he seemed to realize that she wasn't going to let go anytime soon and he relaxed, even going as far as to give her a hug in return. This was his pack now, this was who he was going to have to trust, and it definitely helped that Charlie was already starting to grow on him.

She had been the one to help Sydney the most, she had been the one that Sydney trusted with anything and it was nice to hear about all of the adventures that Sydney and Charlie had shared. It was obvious to Peter that Charlie was exactly what she needed, a female friend, who doubled as a beta in her very own pack.

"Welcome to the Vance pack." Charlie mumbled and moved away from Peter, giving him room to breathe. He forced a smile at her in response and she made quick work of waving at Isaac, who bounded up the steps and followed her into the house, disappearing from sight.

"No funny business!" Sydney yelled at the two teenagers but there was no response from inside. She turned her attention back to Derek and smiled at him, grateful that he had taken such good care of her pack, of _their_ pack.

There wasn't a single person within her group that she didn't feel comfortable with, that she didn't trust with her life. These were the people that she wanted in her life and she was glad that they had fallen into place.

The twins climbed out of the cars at this point too and meandered over to where Sydney stood holding her baby girl, pressing gentle kisses on her head every few seconds. Peter walked down the stairs of the porch and came to stand next to Sydney, who immediately handed Bruin over to him. He took the baby in his arms and looked down at her little face, his heart swelling at the sight of the smile on Bruin's lips.

God she was beautiful, she was perfect in every sense of the word. She would grow up to be a wonderful girl, and Peter was going to be right there with her the entire journey.

"I'm so glad that you're okay." Derek said to Sydney and Peter watched his nephew and his mate interact. It wasn't hard to see that they were still really good friends, and having Derek in Sydney's pack was something that Peter found himself looking forward too.

If anyone knew Derek, and what he was capable of, it was Peter. Derek certainly offered a lot of knowledge and strength to the pack, which is precisely what he wanted, especially if so many people were going to be around to protect Bruin. He had no doubt in his mind that his daughter would grow up with people who loved her at every turn.

"Thank you so much Derek." Sydney breathed the words out. "You'll never know how much I truly trust you with the livelihood of my pack."

"Syd, it's not a problem." Derek shook his head and peered to his left, then his right, meeting the eyes of the twins. "You trust these guys, which means I trust these guys. We all have the same common interest and that's Bruin."

"We'd never let anything happen to her." Ethan piped up, Aidan nodding along with his brother. "Or you. You gave us a second chance, _you_ took us in and gave us a place to stay when we had no one. We owe you Syd, we owe you everything."

"No." Sydney shook her head and moved closer to Peter, leaning against his side carefully and setting her hand on the top of Bruin's head. "You guys- I owe you. You've done nothing but good for me."

"Why don't we just call it even?" Aidan offered up with a smile. "And maybe you'd be so kind as to give us a few days off before we start training again?"

Sydney let out a chuckle and shook her head in amusement. When she met Aidan's eyes, she bowed her head, giving in to his request. Sure, it had been a rough couple of weeks, she was tired and sore still from her fighting with the Ghost Riders, a few days off from training didn't sound so bad at all.

"I want Peter." Derek narrowed his eyes in on his uncle. "I call dibs."

Sydney laughed harder at Derek's statement and gave him a nod, letting him know that she was just fine with that.

"I can imagine we have some aggression to work out, some unresolved issues to get over." Peter added, apparently sensing the tension between him and the only other man that was part of the Hale family. "Just go easy on me to start with?"

"Yeah right." Derek scoffed and slowly he smirked at his uncle. "No chance of that happening."

Sydney snorted, drawing everyone's attention towards her. She raised her hands into the air and motioned towards the house, implying that she wanted them all inside. It was nice outside, sure, but she wanted to sit down, she wanted to relax on the couch with Bruin, Peter right beside her, and get used to the fact that her family was whole for the first time.

It would certainly take a lot of getting used to now that Peter was back in the picture, and she figured that the house would be a lot more tense than she was used to, but surely everything would fall into place soon enough. This was her pack, these were the people she cared for the most, and who cared about her more than anything.

She had Peter, she had Bruin, she had Derek, the twins and Charlie. She had Isaac too, who would continue to be a valuable member of the pack, as well as their mutual ally with Chris Argent. It would seem that they had everything they ever could've wanted.

"Why don't we order pizza tonight?" Sydney offered. "Maybe just have a quiet night in?"

"That sounds perfect." Derek nodded his head in agreement. "Come on, let's go inside."

Sydney hung back and watched as the twins and Derek disappeared into the house. She peered out at the two cars in her driveway and dropped her eyes down to look at Bruin, who seemed more content than she ever had before. Was this because of Peter, was this because her father was back in the picture?

Sydney didn't know for sure, but she was certainly glad that he was around to watch Bruin grow bigger and stronger. She still had no idea what the red flicker in her eyes meant but if she knew one thing for sure, she figured Bruin was going to be more powerful than even she could imagine.

At this point, only time would tell.

"I'm really glad that you're happy." Peter said softly, catching her attention and drawing her eyes up to meet his. "And I know you never wanted children before but can I be honest for a second here?"

"Yeah." She smiled at him. "Always."

"She really is amazing." Peter confessed, his eyes looking down at the baby in his arms. "I'm not sorry she's here with us now."

"Me neither." Sydney giggled. "Sure, maybe I'm sort of glad that I accidentally got pregnant, but I wouldn't trade her for anything. She's my baby."

"She's perfect."

"She's got good genes." Sydney grinned. "And she's got good parents."

Peter let a blanket of silence fall over them and he turned to look at the house, the very house that had once been burned to a crisp by Kate Argent. It was amazing how much things had changed while he had been locked away, then stolen, but they seemed to be just the way they were supposed to be.

Sydney had a pack that respected her, and cared for her, she had a family, even if they weren't blood related. She had everything that Peter could've wanted for her and here he was, getting a chance to be a part of it too.

He felt her rest her head against his shoulder and heard her let out a soft sigh of content.

"You're enough for me, you know that don't you Sydney?" He said in a low voice, which was laced with sincerity.

"Maybe." She replied softly. "Even if I didn't think I'm enough, I do know that she is."

Peter followed her gaze and locked his eyes on the tiny, perfect baby in his hold. Bruin would definitely be enough for him and there wasn't anything in the world that was going to harm his little girl.

Now he just had to prove that Sydney was enough for him too.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Guy! Oh my gosh, I feel so bad, I thought I had posted this chapter ages ago and I just realized last night that I hadn't! This is it for 6A, I'm struggling to get through 6B but I'm hoping to get a whole bunch written this weekend._**

 ** _Hope you guys enjoyed the first part of the final season, let me know what you think?_**


	28. Chapter 28

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 28** **:**

Months, it had been months since Peter had seen the last of the Ghost Riders, not to mention the crazy Nazi werewolf that had tried to take on Scott. Yet in those same months, he had witnessed Sydney losing her pack one by one, a piece of herself disappearing with each member that left.

Okay, it wasn't like they were leaving her permanently, or even for a hugely extended period of time, but he could easily see that with each member that left the house, it was getting harder and harder for her to keep herself together. He wasn't leaving her though, if he had anything to say about it, he'd stick right by her side until his very last breath.

He had gone without her before and Peter certainly wasn't going to do that again. She meant too much to him, she was way too important, plus now he had Bruin to look after, and Sam, who was growing on him too. It was his little girl though, Bruin, yes, she would keep Peter grounded, she would remind him of what he had to lose in case he ever had another lapse in judgement like he had in the past.

She was his world at this point in time, nothing was ever going to hurt his little girl.

Well, his little _girls_. Yes, Sam, she was definitely a beta that Peter liked having around.

Sam, poor little Sam. The girl had lost her own pack and it wasn't like Sydney hadn't tried to find Satomi and hand her back over, she had. There had been desperate searches, group outings into the preserve to catch a scent, but the alpha werewolf was nowhere to be found, barely even a trace was left for them to find. The only pack members that Sydney had managed to locate were some betas who she seemed to know quite well, a teenager named Brett and his sister, who were around the same age as Charlie. Where had Satomi gone and why had she left a defenseless little girl behind?

In all honesty, Peter didn't really care though, even when Sydney had exclaimed that Sam would stay with them, he hadn't objected.

The little girl was extremely intelligent, she was incredibly brave (as he had witnessed when he had gotten her and Sydney out of the train station) and she'd make a great beta for Sydney when she was older, plus since she was still young, she could be molded, she could be influenced, she could be guided to her fullest potential. Perhaps that was part of why Peter hadn't been opposed to the idea of the girl becoming part of Sydney's pack, whether it was temporarily or permanently. He could help her become the most loyal of betas, he could teach her everything he knew, and in turn, she could learn to become a protector for Bruin, his little girl.

Watching the others leave though, that was what had Sydney so down, that was what had his mate struggling through each and every day. She tried to maintain a sense of normalcy, desperate to let Sam see that things were just fine.

First it had been Derek, who had claimed that he needed to go, he needed to step away and deal with some things on his own and Sydney hadn't objected to whatever journey of self-discovery Derek seemed to need. He had reassured both Sydney and himself that he wasn't pulling out of her pack, but that didn't make it hurt any less when he loaded up what little belongings he had into his Camaro and pulled out of the driveway. In fact, his leaving had seemed to upset Sam more than anyone. Apparently the little girl had grown accustomed to Derek being nearby and for whatever reason, she had liked his broody nephew.

Seeing Derek with the child had been a little off-putting but Peter could still remember the times when Derek had looked out for his own siblings. He was a much better werewolf than he gave himself credit for.

Without Derek though, it didn't feel the same, at least not to Sydney. She refused to bother him with incessant calls just to see how he was doing though, no, she knew better. If Derek wanted to talk to her, he'd do it on his own terms and maybe Derek would come back sooner rather than later, she just had to give him the space that he seemed to need for whatever it was he needed to do.

Peter hadn't been invited to join him, and even if he had, he would've turned his nephew down. They had spent enough time together for Peter to know that they rarely saw eye to eye, so what good would it do spending one on one time with the one other Hale male remaining in Beacon Hills. Wherever Derek had headed off to was a secret to even him. His promise of calling Sydney if he _ever_ needed anything had not fallen on deaf ears. Derek had easily accepted the offer and had even hugged the female alpha goodbye, promising to take care of himself so that he _could_ come back to her pack one day.

Derek had been the first beta of Sydney's to leave, but he wasn't the last.

When Ethan had announced that he wanted to fly over to London, England, Sydney had been shocked, as had Peter, but it wasn't like the man wasn't capable of handling things on his own. Peter had barely managed to keep himself interested long enough to overhear the twin telling his alpha that there was someone over there that he wanted to see, someone that he had been talking to secretly for quite a while. The name Jackson had come up more often than not and Peter couldn't help but wonder when this had all started.

It was obvious that Ethan hadn't mentioned anything about Jackson, or England, to Sydney, but when Peter had caught the knowing look in Charlie's eye, he knew that not everyone was as surprised by his announcement as Sydney had been.

That made it two, two betas of Sydney's had packed up their things and left the house, leaving her with a dwindling pack that seemed to be getting smaller and smaller with each passing week.

She had held her head high though, trying to remain strong and unwavering, and she had succeeded for the most part, at least until Charlie had begun packing her things, readying herself to move back to Colorado in order to attend university. This one hadn't come as quite a shock, no, Sydney had known that Charlie would be heading off to further her education, but that didn't mean it hurt the alpha any less.

Peter wouldn't admit it to anyone but the loss of Charlie had affected him as well, though not as badly as it had wounded his mate. The girl, as irritating as she was, had begun to grow on Peter, and she had proven to him, time and time again, that she was a perfect beta to Sydney's alpha. She listened when she needed to, she was strong enough to handle herself and she was smart, smarter than he had initially believed.

So when Charlie's father had arrived to pick up his daughter in Beacon Hills, there had actually been tears in Sydney's eyes. Not his though, no, he wouldn't cry over the loss of a hormonal teenage beta that he hadn't even had a say in choosing.

Steve had backed out of the driveway and took Charlie away. The girl had left and she had taken Isaac with her, leaving Peter, Sydney, Bruin, Sam and Aidan in her former childhood home in California.

Her pack had split up, gone their separate ways, they were growing up. He wasn't leaving her though, he'd _never_ leave her. There was nothing in the world that would force him away from Sydney, or Bruin for that matter. Wherever she went, he'd go too, though he wasn't about to confess that out loud. Peter didn't need to announce his weakness to the world, no, people didn't need to know that he'd do anything to keep Bruin and Sydney safe.

Curling up with her the first night that Charlie had been gone was hard on them both. She wouldn't admit to him that she was missing her female beta and he could easily sense that she was hurting. Peter knew better than to bring it up to her though, if she wanted to suffer in silence, then he'd let her. She'd come to him on her own, so instead of bothering her, he simply let her nuzzle her face against his chest and cling to him while she slept, fearful that if she let go of him, he'd leave her too.

Her body was always warm next to his and even Bruin was starting to sleep right through the night, leaving him alone with his thoughts when the sun went down. He had so many regrets but leaving Sydney the first time, going behind her back and making a deal with Kate Argent, was at the top of his list.

He had missed the birth of his child, he had missed her first few months of life, hell, he had missed Sydney and the formation of her pack, a pack that was strong even without his presence. Those were things he'd never get back.

She had done very well for herself without him though, proving to him that she didn't need Peter.

And that hurt more than he'd care to admit.

Without him she'd still be a strong alpha, her pack would still be able to protect her, and Bruin. He wasn't necessary, not to the pack anyways, but he knew that he was necessary to Sydney. She needed him, and he needed her.

The day that Aidan came to him and confessed that he was thinking about finding a place of his own, Peter was quick to offer the younger man his old apartment. He figured, for Sydney's sake of course, that the man would thrive near his alpha, especially if his twin was thousands of miles away. Aidan had jumped at the opportunity and had moved out of the house rather quickly, leaving Sydney all alone with Peter and the two girls.

He hadn't needed to convince her that it was for the best, and Aidan still popped over almost daily, but it was easy to see that Sydney was heartbroken by his choice. He had been such a staple in the household and now he was across town on his own.

In less than a few months, her pack had disintegrated and that wasn't even counting Stiles.

Stiles: who had gone off to become an FBI agent. The same Stiles, the very human Stiles, that had been there for Sydney when Peter himself had been gone. If it hadn't been for Stiles, god only knows what would've happened to his mate, but that was yet another thing that he filed away under his 'never admitting out loud' list. With all but one of her betas out of town, Peter knew that it would become more and more difficult on Sydney.

She didn't have as many people to easily rely on as she once did. She didn't have the amount of back up that she was used to having and she certainly didn't have the numbers that would help her if she felt threatened, no, all she had was Peter, Sam and baby Bruin.

She made it though, day in and day out she managed to keep herself together when he knew she was falling apart. She was saddened by the lack of her pack around her, and Peter, even though he wasn't all that fond of the idea of sharing Sydney with the others, quickly realized that he needed to give her everything he had, he needed to let her know that even though the pack was gone, it didn't mean they wouldn't come back to her _eventually_.

And he had, at least, until he had received the phone call from the one and only Scott McCall, requesting that they meet up for some sort of discussion.

While relaxing months had passed since he had been freed from the Wild Hunt, since they had defeated a maniacal Nazi werewolf and forced the Ghost Riders out of Beacon Hills, Peter couldn't help but feel a sense of exhilaration flowing through his veins at the prospect of something new threatening their wellbeing. Maybe this was what Sydney needed too, except, no, he'd keep her out of things for as long as possible.

It had been quiet, _too_ quiet, and for too long, for his liking and now that the true alpha needed him for whatever, Peter wasn't going to let the opportunity pass him by. He wouldn't tell Sydney about the proposed meet up, he wouldn't bother her with anything until he knew more about why Scott needed to meet with _him_ , though it wasn't hard to sense it all around him.

Things in Beacon Hills were changing, he could feel it in his bones, and the changes were definitely not for the better.

Whatever was happening wasn't going to be good, but could Peter avoid it all together? Could he manage to stay out of trouble?

For Sydney's sake, he sure hoped he could, because if she lost another pack member, he wasn't sure what would happen to her, but he knew it wouldn't be good.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Part of him didn't want to interrupt but another part of him, a bigger part, knew that Sydney deserved to at least know that he was taking off for a little bit. Peter didn't want to have her worrying while he was gone because if she didn't know where he was, and he didn't answer her when she called, she'd be liable to come looking for him and that was something he certainly didn't want.

Not when he was going to meet up with Scott McCall, not when he was hoping to gain some sort of advantage. Sydney could stay at home with Bruin and Sam and not worry about him, so long as he let her know where he was going. The only problem was, the three females were curled up in the bed, Sydney reading to Sam who held a small paperback book open, Bruin sleeping against Sydney's shoulder- a situation he didn't want to disturb.

It was such a lovely, peaceful sight, a sight that he would never grow tired of, but if Scott needed to talk to him, well that had to mean bad news.

Peter, though he wasn't about to admit it out loud, wanted nothing more than to protect his family, Sam included. Sydney had done more than enough for him, she had loved him when no one else had, she had forgiven him for going behind her back and she had taken him into her home, her pack, without a second thought. Did he owe her? Of course he did, but he wasn't going to make that public knowledge.

Instead, he would trust in himself to try and make things even between them. She could stay safe in the house with the girls and he could head out to see what Scott wanted to talk to him about, hopefully handling it without involving his mate at all.

"You're staring is rude." Sydney spoke up louder than she had been previous, when she had merely been reading to the little blonde girl curled up just in front of her. "And super distracting."

"You can come join us." Sam threw in, her eyes moving from the book in her hands to Peter. He cocked his head sideways and studied the girl for a moment, wondering how she had managed to weasel her way into Sydney's heart. Sam was nothing short of amazing, she was well behaved, incredibly smart and very, _ver_ y obedient, especially when it came to him giving her instructions. She liked Peter too, which was odd in itself because for the life of him, he couldn't remember a time when anyone other than Sydney cared to have him in their presence at all.

"While I appreciate the invitation, I'm going to have to decline." Peter replied calmly and brought his arms up, crossing them over his chest. He stepped just inside the bedroom door and casually leaned against the wall, looking back at the bed and meeting Sydney's curious gaze.

"Really?" Sydney scoffed at him and rolled her eyes. "What reason could you possibly have to decline story time with us?"

"Scott called me." Peter answered bluntly, Sydney's eyes widening ever so slightly at his admission. There was no point in hiding where he was going or what he was doing, if he was honest with her then at least she knew what to expect. There were never any guarantees on him coming back home in one piece, especially when it came to meeting up with the true alpha or any of Scott's pack.

"What for?" Sydney pressed and readjusted her hold on the slumbering Bruin. The baby didn't wake and when Sydney was sitting up that little bit straighter, she leveled him with a glare, looking at him over Sam's head. "You two going on a man date?"

"What's a man date?" Sam piped up and looked up at Sydney, whose glare immediately softened. "Can I come too Petey?"

Peter hesitantly shook his head no and pushed himself off the wall, wandering into the room further before coming to stand at the foot of the bed. He sucked in a deep breath and wondered how best to approach the situation.

Would it be best if he asked to speak to Sydney alone, sending Sam out of the room for the time being so that she didn't end up between them? Or would it be easier if he just said his piece before taking off, no matter how Sydney felt about him going?

"You want me to call Aidan, see if he can watch the girls so I can go with you?" Sydney quipped, watching as Sam carefully closed the book and let it fall to the bed. "Because I can do that if you need me-"

"Nope, not necessary." Peter cut her off, shaking his head at her offer. "I can handle this on my own."

Sydney eyed him, her expression laced with skepticism, but what was she supposed to do? He figured she wasn't going to object to a night in with Bruin, in fact, if he hadn't gotten the call, he would've been on the bed with them, reading away to Sam until it was time for her to go to bed. Instead he was going to venture out of the house, meet up with Scott and hear the boy plead his case.

Sydney remained quiet though, not saying a word as Peter studied her, taking in her delectable scent. She didn't smell pissed off, she didn't even smell slightly angry, instead, it was almost like she was relieved.

Was she relieved? Did she not like the idea of going out in search of an adventure? No, no the Sydney he knew was the first one to jump in at the sight of danger, so why was she so nonchalant about him leaving her in the house alone for the evening? Peter had expected her to argue with him, point out that they couldn't trust Scott, but maybe she didn't actually feel that way?

Maybe Sydney liked the idea of leaving Beacon Hills in Scott's hands.

"How long do you think you're going to be?" Sydney whispered and Peter offered her a slight shrug. "Well can you try not to be gone too long?"

"With any luck I'll be home before you even go to bed." Peter countered, forcing a smirk onto his lips. "I don't like the idea of you going to bed _alone_."

There was a certain air of teasing to his words and he knew that she got it. She was his, he was hers, and the more that he got to sleep next to her, the more he regretted getting himself locked away in Eichen House. How had Sydney not been enough for him back then? Why had he given her up for a chance at revenge?

"She's got us." Sam grinned and set her hand on Sydney's knee, pushing herself up into a kneel on the bed. "If you don't come home quick, I'm stealing your spot in the bed."

"No chance Sam." Peter shot back, a teasing growl emanating from his throat. "You sleep in your own bed."

Sam let out a giggle and when Peter leaned forward, scooping her up into his arms, she shrieked in excitement. Sydney clutched Bruin tight against her chest and made her way to her feet, standing beside Peter, who struggled to get Sam to stop flailing before he managed to prop her against his hip. The little girl ran her hands down the side of his face and pressed her palms firmly against his cheeks, even going as far as to use her thumbs to pull the corners of his lips into a forced smile. She smiled at him and when she moved her hands away from his face, Peter smiled on his own accord, letting the girl stare into his eyes.

"As long as you promise to come back, I'll sleep in my own bed." Sam murmured, Peter wondering how truly intelligent this little girl was. Was she picking up on his slight anxiety involved in leaving the three of them alone for a while, or was she merely acting like a normal little girl, wanting him to come home in one piece?

"I promise." Peter said softly, feeling his heart pick up in speed the slightest, so small a change that Sam didn't pick up on it, though with one quick glance sideways, he could tell by the look on Sydney's face, that she had heard it. "Now, why don't you go pick out another book from the shelf in your room and give me a few minutes with Sydney so that I can give her a proper goodbye?"

"Okay." Sam wiggled against him and Peter immediately set the girl on the floor, watching in awe as she took off running for the door, pausing just outside to turn to face them once again. "Don't forget to give her a goodbye kiss."

Peter merely laughed at the girl's words and Sam was off before he had a chance to say anything more. When she was gone from his sight, he turned his attention towards Sydney and gingerly took the baby from her hold, cradling Bruin against his own chest momentarily while he wandered over to her crib. Leaning over the side of it, he cautiously laid the sleeping tot down and ran his hand over her head, ghosting his fingers through her hair. Without getting the chance to turn around, he felt Sydney's body press against his back, her arms banding around his middle as her forehead rested against the back of his shoulder.

"It's been too long." She mumbled, Peter stiffening at her words. Too long since what? Too long? What did she mean? What was she referring to?

"It has." He agreed, without thinking too much about it. Surely he could get it out of her without seeming like he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Do you know what Scott wants?"

Oh, now it all seemed to make sense. Yes, she was referring to Scott, it had been too long without some sort of contact with Scott, which in turn meant it had been too long without something weird happening to them all. With any sort of luck, Scott would want his help with something simple and then he could traipse back to Sydney's bed and they could carry on living peacefully without any sort of threat.

He didn't figure luck was on his side though.

"I'll find out soon enough."

"Okay." She let out a soft sigh and reluctantly peeled herself away from his back. He turned to face her and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Be careful okay, and you call me if you need me for _anything_."

"Of course." _Lie_.

He had no intention of dragging her into anything if he could help it but she didn't need to know that.

"Well, have fun then, I guess." She backed up and lowered her butt down so that she was sitting on the edge of her bed. Peter studied her for a split second before moving towards her, leaning down so that he was eye level with her, his palm snaking around to hold the back of her neck gingerly. "I love you."

"You're making this sound more and more like you're not expecting me to come back." Peter stated. "I won't be gone that long."

"Yeah but if Scott wants to meet then he must be pretty desperate."

Peter scoffed at her words but found that she was fighting off a smile. Okay, so maybe she wasn't really all that concerned about him, maybe this was a good thing. He could go off on his own and she'd stay back, hardly worrying at all because she knew he could handle himself, right?

Closing the distance between their faces, Peter pressed a lingering kiss to her lips, basking in the feeling of her right there in front of him. When he pulled away seconds later, she raised her hand up and rested her palm on the side of his neck, the warmth from his skin giving her enough comfort so that she could remain relaxed until he left the house.

"I'll be waiting for you." Sydney said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "So that you can tell me _all_ about what Scott needs you for."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He countered and moved back, peeling his hand away from her while her palm fell away from his skin. "Have fun reading."

Sydney's lips curled upwards into a smile and she didn't say another word as he stepped away from her heading towards the doorway. He approached the hallway at the same time that Sam made her grand reappearance, giving his thighs a quick hug while squishing past him. He paused and watched for a few seconds longer, catching the sight of Sam jumping up onto the bed and walking up to the pillows, where she promptly flopped down, Sydney getting comfortable next to her.

Peter turned away from them, still smiling, and mentally promised that he was going to come back to them soon, and he was going to be in one piece when he made it back home.

Nothing was going to keep him away from Sydney.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Author's note: ugh, sorry for the long delay, I was having a hard time figuring out how to get going on this...anyways, for those of you still with me, I'd love to hear your thoughts!_**


	29. Chapter 29

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 29** **:**

The idea of meeting up with the intolerably optimistic true alpha named Scott McCall was not something that Peter wasn't particularly fond of doing at this moment but if this could help him gain some sort of advantage in the future then it was worth it, right? If he could get the upper hand without putting in much effort, if he could keep his family safe, a night out to meet Scott would be a piece of cake. Plus part of him was hoping that he could help out Malia in whatever way possible, gain some of her trust, or at least get her to tolerate him a little more than she did already.

Leaving Sydney out of it wasn't a bad thing either, at least if she was at home with Bruin, his youngest daughter would be safe, and Sydney would remain out of harm's way too. He had every ounce of faith that she could handle keeping Bruin and Sam safe, especially in her own home. It was a win-win situation all around, okay, except for the fact that Peter knew he was being tailed the second he had pulled out onto the main street of Beacon Hills.

Good god the new wave of hunters were so obvious and clearly lacking the ability to be stealthy at _all_. Not only had he seen the headlights in his rear view mirror as soon as the vehicle had pulled in behind him, he had heard the car, loud and clear. Did they know nothing about the superhuman skills that he had? Did they not realize that he had super hearing, and heightened senses all around?

Well no matter, Peter wasn't about to let a hunter be a part of his little meet up with him and Scott, not in a million years.

Peter was perfectly capable of handling this little inconvenience, hell it wasn't even worth calling a threat. All he needed was a place to take them down, a place that he was familiar with, a place that he knew like the back of his hand– the preserve.

Slowing down, Peter pulled off the road, holding the car steady as it skidded slightly on the gravel shoulder. He continued to ride the brake and brought the vehicle to a complete stop, throwing it into park before turning the engine off, letting the silence take over. He couldn't _see_ the hunter's car but he could still hear it, his prey wasn't too far off.

All Peter had to do was get himself into the preserve and lie in wait. This would almost be too easy. These people were no Argents, not a Gerard or a Kate, hell, not even Chris Argent, who was pathetically aligned with Scott, would be _this_ careless. Something wasn't right here, and Peter was going to figure out what the hell was going on, just as soon as he eliminated the tail he had gained.

Pushing the door open, Peter set his foot on the ground and hauled himself out of the front seat. He tucked the keys into the pocket on his jacket and shut the door gently. He peered up at the moon and focused his attention on the rapidly beating heart of whoever was out here with him.

They were nervous, and rightly so. Peter was vicious, he had once been a ruthless alpha who had ripped his own niece in two. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to protect what was his and if that meant ending this novice hunter's life, well Peter was prepared to do just that.

It was a nice night for a hunt of his own.

Without hesitating, he took off in a brisk walk, starting off on the trail just in front of the car. Soon enough though, he veered sideways and craned his neck, using his senses to pinpoint the exact location of his follower.

It wasn't hard, hell, the so called hunter was even more obvious now that he wasn't in the car. What the hell was this guy doing? It was like he wasn't even _trying_ to maintain a sense of cover.

He was going down for sure.

Slipping behind a tree, Peter pressed his back against the rough bark, letting his eyes fall shut as he tuned in to the rapidly increasing footfalls that were quickly approaching. He continued to listen as the footfalls came to a stop and Peter knew that he had outwitted the dense hunter that was following him. The inexperienced nimrod had to figure out where Peter had gone, but he wasn't going to get that far.

Taking in a deep breath, Peter rolled his body sideways and surged away from the tree, coming to stand in the middle of the trail. His eyes landed on the very person who had been trailing him on the road but Peter wasn't scared, not even with the large gun in the man's hold. Seriously?

This was what Gerard was using now, _this_ was the new brand of hunter?

Did they not know anything? Like how to be quiet, how to lure out their prey or set up a trap? Were they relying simply on the sheer fire power that they could hold in their hands?

"You're one of them."

Peter cocked his head sideways and tried to understand what the hunter was getting at. One of _them_? Hmm, well, he wasn't entirely sure what this guy was talking about, but he certainly wasn't going to give him any sort of break. When the hunter raised his gun even higher, pointing the barrel directly at Peter's face, he rolled his eyes and let out a grunt.

"One of them…" Peter trailed off and shut his eyes for a split second, forcing his icy blue irises to come to surface. When he glared back at the hunter, he tried desperately to fight off a smirk but it was just too funny. This guy, this amateur standing in front of him had no idea what he was doing. "You mean-"

"Tell me, what exactly do blue eyes mean?" The hunter demanded and gripped his gun a little tighter. From where he was standing Peter could see that it was some sort of hard core automatic weapon and it didn't take him long to recognize it. It was precisely the thing that Argent Arms could provide, a nice, sturdy, quick firing G36 assault rifle.

"If I told you, then I'd have to kill you." Peter countered, a sarcastic tone to his voice, but the hunter didn't budge, he didn't even flinch. Okay, well, Peter was growing tired of this bullshit, he wanted to go ahead and meet up with Scott, get it all over with so he could get back to his mate.

"I'd like to see you try."

Peter gave the man a slight shrug and jerked forward, diving at the man's chest and wrapping his arms around his waist, tackling him to the ground like an NFL quarter back. The impact the man made against the ground was way too satisfying and one of the nicest take downs that Peter had ever managed to do.

For god's sake, the hunter went down like a sack of potatoes and once he was on his back on the ground, it didn't take much more to get the weapon out of his hold. Peter merely kicked it sideways, breaking the man's grasp on it and then hopped up to his feet, standing over the guy, staring down at him with his still glowing blue eyes.

"Too easy. You know, if you had done a little more research, asked the right person what blue eyes mean, you might've stood a chance." Peter offered up, an amused smirk gracing his features as he took in the sight of the man slowly raising his hands up in surrender. "Then again, probably not."

With a hard knee to the hunter's head, Peter knocked him out cold and planted a hand on his hip, looking down at the guy. Too easy? Was it too easy?

No, no it wasn't, it couldn't be. This man, who had the balls to call himself a hunter, was just terribly inexperienced, and anyone who was even remotely trained would be going after Scott and his little band of misfits, right? If Gerard had any sense, that's where his focus would be.

Yes, of course, that was all it was. Peter wouldn't even register as a threat on their list, not when Gerard had a hard-on for the true alpha of Beacon Hills, a vendetta against the measly teenager who had stumbled into their world. Peter Hale would be nothing more than a blip on their radar.

"Well," Peter let out a soft sigh, kicking the hunter's leg roughly, "you and I, we've got places to be, people to see, _so_ , let's not waste any more time."

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Getting the hunter into the cell in Eichen house had been a lot more work than Peter had been anticipating, in fact, at one point, he had paused, let the hunter fall lax on the floor and debated calling in Aidan, to see if Sydney's beta would help him, but that would be bruising to his pride, and Aidan certainly wouldn't have ever let him live _that_ down.

Sucking it up and shaking it off, Peter had struggled all on his own to get the unconscious hunter tucked away in a vacant cell in the basement of the nut house where he had once been a prisoner. Being back here caused him to shudder but he shook it off, knowing that he wasn't here as a prisoner this time, no, he was the warden, and he was going to show this hunter that he was tougher than he appeared.

Leaning against the wall just outside the cell, Peter rolled his eyes as he listened to the man coming too. He was groaning, grumbling even, but he wasn't yet fully conscious. Thank god, he didn't want to start his meeting off having to explain to Scott why there was an angry hunter locked away yelling at him.

No, that just wouldn't do, instead, Peter liked the idea of introducing the man once he had already established a line of communication. He would spring it on Scott but he would do so once they were already talking. There was no point in scaring him off right from the start. Maybe Peter could even show Scott that he was skilled in taking on hunters, maybe he could prove to the true alpha that he was a force to be reckoned with and make the teenager regret ever crossing him.

Blowing out a breath, Peter pulled out his phone and looked at the screen, re-reading the text messages that he had sent to both Malia and Scott, which read simply 'Eichen'. He knew they wouldn't need much more than that, they were both very capable at tracking him and he had made sure to take the easiest path to his current position.

Dragging his finger across the screen, he closed the text message and peered at the photo that he used as his background. It hadn't been his idea, not at all, but he wasn't about to change it.

One night, while Peter had been busy, Sydney had hijacked his phone and had taken a selfie with the two girls. Sam was grinning ear to ear, Bruin's eyes were wide with wonder and Sydney was pressing a kiss to the side of their baby girl's head. It definitely wasn't a picture that he'd want others to know he used as a background, but it was certainly a picture he would never get tired of looking at. They were his girls, they would always be _his_ girls.

"Why did he want to meet here?" Scott's voice echoed from around the corner and Peter made quick work of tucking his phone into the pocket on his jacket. His mind drifted to Sydney and he wondered what she was up to while he was out meeting with Scott.

Was she playing with Sam and Bruin, were they watching a movie or were they still reading?

What Peter wouldn't give to be back home already, to be near them and be with them. He wanted to spend every free minute that he had with Sydney and Bruin, not be standing in the basement of Eichen House leaning against the open gate waiting to lay eyes on his grown daughter who seemed to not care about him much at all.

"Why did he agree to meet at all?" Malia countered, breaking Peter out of his thoughts. He rolled his shoulders back, clasped his hands together behind his back and prepared himself for a face to face with Scott and Malia. They wanted to talk to him, they had contacted him, had wanted to meet up, but this was his choice of location. This was where he had the advantage if he needed it.

"Curiosity." Peter announced, the two in question rounding the corner and coming into his line of sight. He gave them both a nod, acknowledging their presence before adding, "mostly."

"Okay." Scott breathed out after giving Malia a quick look. He began to move forward, closing the distance between them, but Peter remained still, waiting for him to speak. "We need your help."

"With what? Another suicide mission? Not interested." Peter shot back, leaning slightly to the right as his eyes trailed over Malia, taking in the sight of her. "Or do _you_ need my help?"

Well if Malia was the one that needed his help and not purely Scott-

"I'm here for moral support." Malia broke in, Peter blinking a few times to clear up his mind. Okay, well that wasn't exactly what he had been expecting, then again, he was talking about Malia, so was he really all that surprised?

"For him or for me?" Peter countered, a small sense of pride welling in his chest. Had she come here for him? Had she wanted to see him?

"You'd need to _have_ morals." Malia pointed out with a slight shake of her head. Peter fought off the urge to roll his eyes and instead settled for giving her a disapproving look, though she wasn't entirely wrong.

She just didn't know the new Peter, the Peter who had Bruin and Sydney to look after. Malia had no idea what kind of person he was now. He was a family man, a beta to a fierce, strong, savage alpha female, not to mention the mate of one of the most wonderful women he had ever laid eyes on.

Surely they had to know that he wasn't the same Peter who had attacked Scott to start with, who had destroyed the peace of Beacon Hills, killed people before having his throat ripped out and his body lit on fire. It was obvious, wasn't it? He wasn't that man anymore.

"You helped us fight the Ghost Riders." Scott pointed out with a nod of his head.

"Self preservation." Peter retorted. The Ghost Riders, okay, he was going to bring that up. Well he would never let Scott know but the reason he had fought them was for him and Sydney. He had missed out on far too much being locked away in Eichen House and then stolen right out from under everyone.

He wasn't going to let the Ghost Riders get in his way, and fighting side by side with Sydney had been exhilarating. She was brilliant, she was ferocious, and most importantly, she was _his_.

"But we couldn't have won without you. You're stronger than all of us, you were the real reason the Wild Hunt-"

"Stop." Peter cut him off, lifting his hand up, not exactly a fan of where Scott was taking this. "A solid effort, you don't need to appeal to my ego. It's quite healthy. You're going to need to work a lot harder than that if you want my help."

What _did_ Scott want with him? Why _hadn't_ he gone to Sydney? What did he need that he couldn't get from her?

She was a team player, much more than he was, and she was definitely just as strong as he was. Was it that Scott didn't _know_ her like he did Peter? Was it that he didn't trust Sydney?

Did it really matter? Well, no, but it did bring a lot of questions to surface. Sydney had been right there helping with the Ghost Riders, in fact, she had been there when he had been locked away. He knew she had helped handle the Dread Doctors, and the Beast, so why, _why_ didn't Scott go to her for help?

"What do you want?" Scott pressed, a lightness to his tone that Peter hadn't expected. Was Scott really here to bargain with him, to give him what he wanted in return for his help?

Stepping forward, Peter crossed his arms over his chest and got right down to it, at least, he was going to tell Scott what he wanted him to hear.

"Everything pretty much _is_ the way I want it." _Lie_. Sydney and Bruin were in danger, and if they weren't directly in the line of fire now, they would be soon. "My penthouse apartment is filled with mid-century furniture," _Lie,_ another lie. He was quite content living with Sydney in her house, he loved waking up next to her and seeing his baby girl every morning, tucking her in at night before curling up with his mate and sleeping soundly through the night. "My passport has more stamps than the post office-" _Lie_ number three- "and did you see the car parked out front? That's a Shelby 1000 Cobra; there are only a hundred in the entire world. I have two. _Two_."

None of it mattered though. Aidan was living in his apartment and Peter hadn't been out of the country since his little impromptu trip to Mexico (unless being in the Wild Hunt counted as being out of the country, but there was no stamp for that on his passport). He wanted to be with Sydney, he wanted to watch Bruin grow up, he wanted to teach her everything he knew and witness his daughter grow up to be a strong, independent woman.

Could he do that if the threat of Gerard was lingering around Beacon Hills? Could he really let Scott lose this war? And if Sydney caught wind of what Gerard was planning, well, it wasn't like Peter had ever been able to tell her what to do. She wasn't the type of person to lie down and die, and when it came to Gerard, he knew she wouldn't run away.

"But Gerard has an army, and every single one of them want you dead." Scott explained.

"And you think that means I'm going to enlist in your little endeavor? Because you're going to defeat Gerard? You're not going to beat him, Scott and let me show you why." Peter paused in his movements, and his words, and he set his hand on the lever on the wall beside him. This was the moment that counted and Peter just hoped that his unconscious hunter was ready to prove his point. When the lever was flipped and the lights in the cell illuminated, Peter turned his attention to the hunter, who was sitting up against the wall, the empty gun on the bed near the man's feet. "When I found him, that was pointed at my face. _That_ is a G36, which fires seven hundred fifty rounds per minute and it's empty, for the moment."

Shoving his hand into his pocket, Peter freed the cartridge of ammo from the jacket and held it up in front of the window to the cell. He stole a glance at Scott and watched as the teen's eyes widened slightly, wondering what the hell was about to happen here.

Without hesitating for another second, Peter flipped down the slot in the door, much like one for mail, and made a move to toss the cartridge to the man.

"Peter, wait." Scott called out.

"What the hell are you doing?" Malia followed it up and Peter let the ammo fly, the hunter catching it, nearly fumbling it, but managing to keep his hands on it. Within seconds, the cartridge was loaded into the gun in the man's hands, the barrel aimed at the glass window, the only barrier between them and the hunter.

"That homicidal guinea pig is going to kill all of us unless you do what's necessary, and I don't feel like dying today." Peter remarked, quickly lifting his hands up to his head and plugging his ears with his index fingers.

The rapid fire gunshots were much louder than he was anticipating but he was definitely glad the he had plugged his ears. Scott would not be so lucky and all it took was a quick look to realize that the true alpha was confused as hell. Okay, so maybe there was a less intrusive way to prove his point, but it was too late now, the gun was going, the hunter was trying to kill them and there was nothing any of them could do to stop it, not just yet anyways.

"There's something wrong with him." Scott called out, trying to be heard over the loud, ear piercing shooting. The true alpha was crouching, trying to avoid the gunshots but it wasn't hard to do just that. The hunter had a narrow window, literally, in which he could shoot at them.

"Yes, he's shooting at us." Peter yelled back, turning to look at Scott once more before locking his eyes back on the frantic and cornered hunter. "If you can't even kill him, how do you expect to win this war?"

Gunshots continued to ring out in the hallway, breaking into the glass and leaving little holes in the transparent barrier. It crackled and splintered from the impact but it didn't break, instead, the hunter continued to shoot, at least he did so until the gun jammed.

The hunter tilted the gun sideways and ran his finger along the trigger, trying to figure out what was wrong. Peter knew exactly what the problem was and suddenly his mind flitted to Sydney. What would she have done if she was here with him, what would she have said to him?

Would _she_ have been able to kill the man? Would she have given the man an opportunity to prove them all wrong, to give him a second chance at life? Peter found himself at a loss, knowing that he had no idea what she would do in this situation.

Surely if her life was threatened, she'd handle it, but was she corrupted, was she as corrupted as Scott, or Malia? Was she on the 'let's try to save everyone' bus, or would Sydney be able to identify that this man needed to die, or that the only way to stop him would be to kill him.

Peter cautiously moved his fingers away from his ears and locked his eyes on the crazy hunter in the cell. What exactly did this man _know_ about them? What was Gerard telling people? Did he know the true abilities that people like him and Scott had? Did he realize that supernatural creatures had families just like human beings?

"Don't worry, it's just jammed. It tends to happen with automatic weapons that haven't been serviced regularly." Peter stated to the man behind the glass. He tried to keep his mind focused on the task at hand and not drift to thinking about Sydney. "Just slide the bolt back."

With a smirk on his face, Peter lifted his hands back up and plugged his ears once again.

"Thanks." The hunter said, doing exactly what Peter instructed him to do.

"We're not going to hurt you." Scott called out to the man but he didn't listen, he didn't even give Scott a chance to say anything more.

The gun started firing again, round after round breaking through the glass and embedding in the wall behind them all. Scott remained out of the way and Peter kept his stance in front of the door, watching, waiting, hoping that he'd get his point across. This wasn't a war that was cut out for Scott, this was a war cut out for people like him, people who had no qualms about killing people that hunted them.

This was his town, this was his home and his family was here. He wasn't going to let the hunters win, but he also wasn't going to side with a nauseatingly optimistic idiot like Scott McCall.

"He can't be reasoned with, Scott." Peter shouted over the gunshots. "He's not only shooting at us because he's afraid, he's trying to kill us because he hates us."

The gunshots seemed to stop once again but this time the hunter didn't hesitate, he didn't look to Peter for instructions, no this time he leapt at the shattering, weakened glass and broke right through it, landing on the floor roughly. Scott was already one step ahead of him though, grabbing the gun and holding it sideways, trying to force the hunter back and away from him and Malia.

"Why are you doing this?" Scott demanded, trying to hold his own against the man.

"Because _she_ wants you dead." The hunter ground out, not giving Scott an inch. No, this man was fighting back with everything he had, he wasn't scared of what Scott was capable of, hell, if Peter had an theory, he figured the man had no idea what Scott was capable of, _Scott_ probably had no idea what he was capable of.

But Peter, oh yes, Peter could kill this man if it came down to it. He would break his neck, rip out his heart and not stop until the man was a pile of carcass at his feet. If it meant that he could live, if Sydney and Bruin and Sam could live, then he'd kill everyone that got in his way.

"See? Blind obedience." Peter stated matter-of-factly.

Scott continued to struggle with the man for a few seconds longer before twisting the gun in his hold, forcing the hunter around and smashing his back into the cold, concrete wall of Eichen House. The stranger crumpled to the ground and, for a second time that night, was knocked unconscious.

Would Scott take it further, would Scott kill him though, or would he simply walk away, letting Gerard's army remain at the same number instead of dwindling it down one by one.

"Hmm, he never gave up. I would fight with him." Peter stated, jabbing his finger in the fallen man's direction. "I like him. That's how you win a war."

"You were never going to help us, were you?" Malia growled, shaking her head slightly.

"One day you'll learn you can't save everyone." Peter replied.

"Yeah and you can't kill everyone either Peter." Scott countered, trying to catch his breath from his little melee with the hunter. "Look, you can fight with us or fight alone, but one way or another, you'll end up fighting."

Scott turned his back to Peter and took a step towards the end of the hall. Malia's eyes bored into his but Peter didn't flinch. If she was naïve enough to side with Scott, then who was he to stop her?

"I'm guessing it's going to be alone." Malia tossed out before following Scott's lead.

"You made it this far without getting your hands dirty, Scott. No one makes it through a war with clean hands. If you won't start killing," Peter had started off calling after them but he quickly lowered his voice, no longer yelling at Scott's back, "you better find someone who will."

With one last look at the fallen hunter, Peter turned his back to Scott and made his way down the hall in the opposite direction. All he could do now was head home and let Sydney know what was coming for them.

He just hoped that she was a little more willing to kill than Scott was.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts?_**


	30. Chapter 30

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 30** **:**

Sydney jogged out into the hallway in search of her ringing phone, leaving a giggle Sam lying on her bed. A smile was ever present on the alpha's face at the mere thought of her family; Sam, Bruin, Peter, the four of them together, and this time on a more permanent basis. Of course, all that hinged on Peter's ability to behave and not get himself in trouble, something that Sydney was starting to believe was nearly impossible for her diabolical mate.

With a shake of her head, she stepped into her own bedroom and her eyes immediately landed on the ringing cell phone residing on the night stand. Bruin was still tucked away safely in her crib and the phone was low enough that it didn't wake her, but Sydney, whose ears were way more sensitive and trained, could easily hear the phone from across the hall.

Wrapping her fingers around the device, she hauled it up off the table and jogged back out into the hallway, not wanting to have a conversation with Bruin in the room in case her sweet little baby girl woke up from the sound of her voice. As soon as she was out of her room, Sydney answered the call and held the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey Syd, it's Ethan."

Sydney's entire body perked up at the sound of her beta's voice. God it had been a long time, too long, since she had heard from him but she had adopted the motto: no news was good news. So long as Ethan was okay, that was all that mattered, and Sydney figured that if he ever found himself in trouble, either Aidan or her would be the first person he'd call.

"Hey Ethan, how's lovely London?" She quipped and relaxed against the wall, letting her back gingerly fall against it. She even closed her eyes and felt her muscles loosening at the mere idea of talking to Ethan.

"Well it could be better, I guess that's a good way of putting it." Ethan didn't sound nearly as excited as she was expecting, well maybe this wasn't just a social call, maybe he was in trouble, maybe he needed her help.

Sydney slid down the wall and planted her butt on the hallway floor. She opened her eyes and rested her one arm against her knees, which were propped upwards. She heard Sam's laughter come to a stop and she cocked her head, watching as the small blonde child meandered out of her bedroom, pausing in the doorway and simply watching Sydney, her eyes wide with wonder.

"It could be better, well, is everything okay? You're not hurt, are you?" Sydney pressed, sucking in a nervous breath. She met Sam's questioning gaze and forced a smile onto her face, trying to keep the child calm and reassured. At least if Ethan was talking to her via the phone then he was alive, anything else they could handle. "Are you coming home?"

"Sort of." Ethan answered, a hint of mystique to his words. "But not just for a visit."

"Ethan…" Sydney trailed off and sucked in an anxious breath. She collected her thoughts, or at least tried to, and then continued to speak. "Tell me what's going on, please? I'm worried about you and I can't help you if you're a million miles away."

"First of all, it's not a million miles," Ethan replied, sarcasm in his voice, "and second of all, it might be something better explained in person. We'll-"

"Try to explain it to me Ethan." Sydney cut him off, her mind lingering on his final word: _we'll_. Who was we? "And…Ethan what the heck is going on?"

Sam pushed herself off the doorframe and tiptoed closer to Sydney, easily sensing the alpha's anxiety. Whatever was happening on the phone wasn't something that Sydney liked, and Sam wanted nothing more than to be right next to her, hoping that all it would take to calm her was her presence.

Sydney lifted her arm up off her knees and held it in the air, waiting for Sam to sit down against her. Once the girl was situated beside her, Sydney wrapped her arm around her shoulders and held her tight against her, all the while she held the phone tightly in her other hand.

"We were attacked." Ethan breathed the words out and Sydney sucked a breath in, scared to know what had attacked him. "Hunters came after us in the apartment and I just…we managed to fight them off, but Syd, there's something big happening."

"Big like what?"

"We're tracking-"

"Ethan, sorry, I can't…who's _we_? Is there something else I should know?" Sydney cut him off once again and felt Sam's hand come to rest on her thigh, nearer her kneecap. She let her eyes fall down to the girl's hand and watched as her tiny fingers traced circles against her pants. "There's a lot you're not telling me and I'm trying really hard not to push you but I'm your alpha, I can't pretend that everything's okay when I can hear it in your voice that it's not."

"Jackson."

"Jackson?"

"Jackson Whittemore, the Kanima turned werewolf. He's in London, and I'm in London _with_ him." Ethan explained, but left Sydney with more questions than answers. Jackson, _the_ Jackson, the very same Jackson that had been in Beacon Hills once before. "We're…seeing each other."

"Oh."

"We've kept in touch."

Sydney didn't respond right away, she took his words to heart and tipped her head back, peering at the ceiling. Sam nuzzled into her side and let out a soft sigh of her own, drawing Sydney's attention back downwards.

"Hunters attacked you?" Sydney pressed, pushing Ethan's newly revealed relationship status to the back of her mind, for the time being at least. He had admitted to being attacked by hunters, which meant there was something bigger going on. There would be time for her to question him more later, for now, she'd focus on the task at hand, and more likely, the real reason he had called her to start with.

"They wanted the names of the werewolves we were tracking down." Ethan said softly. "They're hunting down supernatural creatures, most of which haven't done a thing to warrant being hunted down at all. Syd, I don't know how far this goes but if hunters managed to find us in London…well, I don't have to tell you how deep this thing _could_ go."

"What…Ethan why did they want the names…what's happening?"

"They're hunting them down, and they don't just want to talk Syd. They're taking souvenirs; claws Syd, _claws_ , one for each werewolf as proof that they were killed."

Sydney held her breath, letting the information sink in. Hunters, there were hunters in London, who had managed to not only track down but attack her beta. Good lord, what the hell was happening over in Europe and why was Ethan _just_ calling her to tell her about this now? She had no idea he was tracking down werewolves, she had no idea what he was doing in London at all and now for him to tell her that he was seeing someone _and_ tracking down other werewolves with him- god she felt so out of the loop.

She was supposed to be the alpha, she was supposed to know more than she did about her betas, but so far, the only one that she was really knowledgeable with was Peter…except he wasn't even home right now, he was out meeting with Scott.

She was failing, she was failing as an alpha and she was failing to protect her pack. It was her job, and the fact that Ethan had been attacked didn't sit well with her. What was she supposed to do if something worse happened to him, what would happen if he was taken, would she even know about it, would _anyone_ even know about it?

Her pack was too far away, too split up and she couldn't handle it. This was far too much for her to deal with. She was a mother yes but she was also an alpha, an alpha whose pack was scattered in every direction.

Derek was gone, she hadn't heard from him in weeks; Charlie and Isaac were in a different state- who was protecting them? Okay, so maybe Charlie's dad Steve was perfectly capable of keeping his daughter protected, but hunters had gone after Ethan, could Steve prevent hunters from getting to Charlie? Was her pack in danger? Was Charlie in danger?

God dammit. What the hell was she supposed to do now? What was she supposed to do about her pack? They weren't with her, they were gone, and Sydney had no idea how to protect them all and keep them safe.

"But you _are_ coming back, right?" Sydney asked, her voice barely louder than a whisper. "To Beacon Hills?"

"Me and Jackson both."

"Okay." Sydney nodded her head and felt her heartrate starting to slow. She knew Sam was worried about her, it wasn't hard for the little girl to feel how stressed she was. This phone call had taken a turn for the worse and Sydney wasn't liking where it was leading.

"We'll be on the next flight out. Syd, be careful though, I can guarantee this reaches closer to you than England, Gerard's name was brought up." Ethan remarked. "In fact, if it's not already happening in Beacon Hills, then something is even more wrong than I originally believed."

 _Gerard_? God damn Gerard Argent? Jesus Christ? Was this really happening?

Sydney tipped her head sideways, "Does Aidan know?"

Ethan sucked in a breath on the other end of the line and Sydney knew right from that that Aidan didn't know even half as much as she did.

"He knows I'm in England."

"So he doesn't know what's going on? And I'm guessing he doesn't know who you're with? The fact that you're dating Jackson Whittemore, that's a mystery to him to?" Sydney pressed. "Ethan, he's your brother."

"I know." Ethan let out a soft sigh. "And I'll tell him, as soon as we get there."

"Okay." Sydney huffed. "Your room will be waiting for you, if you want it."

"Always."

Sydney didn't get a chance to say her goodbye, Ethan hanging up before she had a chance. Slowly she pulled the phone away from her ear and rested her arm against her knee once more. Sam leaned back and tipped her head sideways, getting a good look at her alpha. She forced a smile onto her lips and waited for Sydney to speak first, fearful of making things worse by asking the wrong thing.

"You're okay if Ethan comes and visits for a while, right?" Sydney questioned in a calm, soothing tone.

"Yeah." Sam murmured and gave her a nod of her head. "I like Ethan, I miss Ethan."

"Okay." Sydney leaned down and pressed a sweet little kiss against the top of Sam's head. "You know you're safe with me, right? I won't let anything bad happen to you."

"I know." Sam bowed her head and curled up even closer to Sydney. "You're strong, you and Petey both."

"Good." Sydney found herself smiling genuinely for the first time since she had walked out of her room with the phone. Sam knew just what to say to make her feel a little better and Sydney wasn't going to take that for granted. This small, young girl next to her was amazing to have around and if it hadn't been for the tragic circumstances that had led to Sam being thrown into the Wild Hunt- well, Sydney wouldn't trade the girl away for anything, she was glad to have her around and she'd keep her safe as long as she was breathing. "How about a drink? What do you say to some orange juice?"

Sam nodded her head in agreement and moved alongside Sydney, the two of them rising up to their feet. Sydney grabbed hold of Sam's hand and walked down the hallway beside her, the two of them taking the steps one at a time as they descended. Once they were on the main floor, Sydney steered the girl towards the table, Sam reluctantly releasing her hold on her hand and clambering up into one of the chairs residing there.

Before Sydney could turn towards the fridge, a rough knock sounded out on the front door. She didn't even get a chance to move for it before Aidan burst through it and shut it behind him, throwing the lock across. He quickly tucked his keys, which he had used to get into the house, into his pocket and rushed into the kitchen, looking around and taking in the sight of Sydney and Sam, who was staring at him from her seat at the table.

"Uh hi, come on in." Sydney chuckled and waved at him, Aidan lifting a hand up to stop her from speaking any more.

"I felt him again." Aidan spat the words out. "Deucalion's here again, or well, if he's not, then my senses are all sorts of messed up."

"Deucalion?" Sydney leaned in closer to Aidan but peered passed him at Sam, who had taken her bottom lip in between her teeth, chewing hastily. "Why?"

"If I knew, I'd have started with that." Aidan grumbled. "Syd…something's going on, and I don't like it. It's big enough to draw Deucalion back here, which means it's big enough for us to worry, right?"

"Yeah." She nodded her head and ran her tongue over her bottom lip. "Ethan just called me, he thinks there's something going on too, honestly I'm a little worried."

"Want me to stay- hey, where's…is Peter here?" Aidan looked up towards the stairs and took in a big whiff of the house. He then tuned his ears into the second level and listened for the older man's presence. "Where _is_ Peter?"

Sydney rolled her eyes, "he went to meet up with Scott."

"Wow, something big is going on, that man doesn't just _go_ to meet with Scott." Aidan pointed out, his words sounding like a joke but his tone remaining stone cold serious. Apparently everyone knew Peter just as well as she did, which was both a plus and minus. "I'm staying here, at least until he gets back. I don't like you girls being here alone, especially not if there's something weird going on."

"Aidan…I'm worried about Charlie." Sydney confessed and stared at Aidan, hoping that he would have words that would reassure her, letting her know that Charlie would be fine on her own. She felt so on edge at this point, having Aidan burst into her house after getting off the phone with a less than calm Ethan wasn't calming in the least.

Maybe Aidan was right, maybe she wanted him to stay in the house, especially seeing as Peter was gone. She had to look out for Sam and Bruin, but would she be enough? If hunters, and that was a plural, came for her, would she be able to fight them off on her own?

One was bad enough but more than one, well Sydney had witnessed firsthand what multiple hunters could do, her parents deaths were proof of that.

"Me too." Aidan responded, dropping his gaze down to the floor. "I'm worried about everyone."

"What's going on?" Sydney muttered and turned towards the fridge, moving back to getting Sam a glass of orange juice. If she could just pretend things were normal for even just a few minutes, that was better than worrying about her pack in its entirety.

"Maybe when Peter gets home, he'll know more." Aidan suggested, his tone sounding hopeful. At the mentioning of Peter, Sam seemed to perk up, a soft smile spreading out across her face.

"Petey will definitely know." Sam gave one firm nod of her head, and that was all Sydney needed to feel the tiniest bit better.

Of course, that meant that Peter had to make it home, and the longer he was gone, the more her mind began to drift to the darkness.

Peter could handle himself though, he had survived long enough on his own, he had even been killed and managed to bring himself back, plus he had spent months in Eichen house, then a bunch of time in the Wild Hunt. Peter Hale was the type of person that could survive anything.

She was banking on it.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

He hadn't gotten very far, not before realizing that Malia wasn't telling him everything. Sure the fact that the hunter had come after him was concerning but there was something else going on, something that he didn't know, and boy did Peter hate _not_ knowing.

The idea of calling Sydney, or at the very least shooting her a text, to let her know that he was still alive and kicking had crossed his mind, but if he had any control over the situation, he was figuring on being home in no time. Meeting up with Malia was just the last thing he had to do before he could head back to his mate and climb into bed with her, letting her curl up against him.

He's listen to her heartbeat as she drifted off to sleep, then he'd listen in to see if Bruin's heartbeat matched up with her mother's. Shaking his head, Peter forced himself to focus on the here and now. He was nearing Malia, he had to keep his head clear and thinking of Sydney and his daughter, his younger daughter, would just muddle up his thoughts.

Closing in on Malia, Peter peered around and took in the sight of the high school behind her, noting that she was sitting on a metal bench in what looked like a half-assed courtyard, her eyes on him as soon as he was within her sights. Good, at least her senses were fine-tuned, that was something he could be proud of, especially considering he hadn't even known about her existence for years.

As if that didn't hurt a little bit, even if Peter was really good at pretending he was fine. The fact that he had a daughter that he hadn't known about had wracked him to the core, but his core had been wracked yet again at the revelation of Bruin. Could he not catch a break when it came to knowing about his own children?

Apparently not.

Dropping down to sit near her on the bench, Peter crossed his one leg over the other and rested his arm on his knee. He didn't meet her eyes and he knew, without even looking in her direction, that she wasn't looking at him either. His reputation had preceded him, he had missed his opportunity to prove to her that he wasn't the bad guy that everyone made him out to be, even if it wasn't all untrue.

"I'm almost getting tired of rejecting you, _almost_. I honestly have no idea where you get your obstinacy from." Peter announced, his voice full of gusto. If he could just make it through this conversation, gain some sort of knowledge about what was going on, and maybe let Malia see that he cared about her, even just a little bit, then he could head home where people actually wanted to be around him.

Bruin wasn't corrupted yet, and Sam, Sam was so innocent and naïve that Peter found it almost laughable. He knew though, that he'd never be able to hurt a hair on either of their heads.

"I get it from you." Malia countered.

"You certainly do not." Peter retorted and looked at Malia, meeting her eyes for the first time since walking away from the car. He was almost offended by her words, but god what did she know anyways? Only what she was told. Turning his attention back away from her, he let it go, for the time being, "what do you want?"

"I want to give you all the facts, something else is going on here, something even you can't outrun." Malia said, her voice much softer than it had been when she had first spoken.

Huh, was she spooked, was she scared of whatever was going on? Had his little show back in Eichen house thrown her off?

If he hadn't been aware of what was happening, what the hunter was trying to do, certainly the firing of bullets through the glass would've put him on edge a little bit too, but Peter rarely got put on edge, and whatever was going on in Beacon Hills wasn't going to rattle him.

Even if he did have a family to protect, he'd do whatever he could, even if that meant sacrificing his own life for Sydney.

"There is nothing I can't outrun, running _runs_ in the family." Peter pointed out

"Not in Sydney's. She wouldn't run from this." Malia shot back and Peter was rendered speechless for a split second. Malia had a point, Sydney wasn't one to run from something like this, she would run head on into it. If she caught wind of a war between hunters and supernaturals, she'd be leading the charge, not running away from the threat.

But wasn't that why he didn't want her to know? Didn't he want to keep her safe, force her to stay out of it by not letting her know what sort of dangers were out there? She was stupidly brave, and he would never fault her for that, but this was bigger than them all. There was no way everyone would survive this, especially if there were hunters like Gerard involved, hunters with high powered weapons like the one that had been demonstrated in Eichen House.

"Well it's hard to run when one is dead." Peter pointed out, his mind drifting to the scent of dried and stale blood that had lingered in her house before it had been burnt to the ground. It was a low blow but he had to get his point across.

"What?"

"Her parents were slaughtered when she was just a girl, did she not tell you that?" Peter pressed, wondering just how chummy his mate and his daughter had become in the time that he had been gone. He was hoping it wasn't too chummy, after all, part of him wanted to keep Sydney and Malia in the dark as much as possible when it came to one another. "Hunters, oddly enough."

"What?" Malia repeated the word, clearly not knowing what more to say. Apparently Sydney's past wasn't as well-known as he had anticipated. Maybe Sydney was only really close with Stiles, after all, it wasn't like Sydney had been all that receptive of the fact that Malia existed.

"In any case, there's nothing that I can't outrun, even if you happen to think there is." Peter explained, carrying on his air of arrogance.

"You haven't felt it, have you?" Malia quipped, her voice calm and soft, which was off-putting to Peter. What _did_ she know that he didn't?

Slowly and carefully Peter turned slightly to get a better look at the girl. He took in the twinkle in her eyes and knew that she was keeping something from him, something that had the ability to change the entire situation in front of him.

"You need to tell me what you're talking about right now." Peter instructed, desperately wanting to know what she did but not wanting to show her how desperate he really was.

"Well, it's nothing that I can tell you but I can show you." Malia remarked.

Before he had a chance to recognize what she was doing, she jammed the tip of her claw into the palm of his hand, forcing his own sharp talons out. Peter watched for a split second, trying to understand what she was doing and when it hit him, and boy did it hit him, his eyes widened in shock.

There was no way she was reckless enough to- nope, that's exactly what she was doing. He couldn't fight it, he didn't have time to as she brought his hand up to the back of her neck and jammed the sharp points of his claws into her flesh. He felt the warmth from her flesh pressed against his fingertips but there was no stopping it now.

He had to let her do whatever it was she wanted to do, and see whatever it was she wanted to show him. Peter could only benefit from this, right? Well, barring any unforeseen paralysis from the invasion of his claws.

 _His vision swam and his entire body went rigid as he was brought into her memories. It wasn't clear, there were only snippets but Peter could make out where she was, which was deep in the tunnels, and she wasn't alone. Malia dove downwards against the wall and gunfire erupted behind her, bullets spilling on to the damp concrete floor._

 _The rat-a-tat of continuous firing kept going but it wasn't what she wanted him to focus on. No, Malia wanted him to see what she saw, see what she_ _ **felt**_ _. There was a faceless entity in the shape of a human but it was almost like it didn't have any skin. It looked more like muscle, no distinguishing features were visible, there were no eyes, no nose, no lips, no teeth, hell there wasn't even a hole for a mouth._

 _What was he looking at, what was she trying to show him?_

 _Peter's vision blurred again and when he could make out the scene in her memory this time, she wasn't alone. There were a bunch of people with her and he could only guess that she was at the sheriff's station, though why, he hadn't a clue._

 _When she turned around though, moving away from the rest of the people inside, the very same faceless, featureless figure was there, haunting her, stalking her. He didn't know what it was, or what it was capable of, but if this was what she wanted to show him, then he wasn't going to just ignore it._

His vision swam and his head shook, this time when his eyes came in to focus, he was right back to where he was before she had dared to jam his claws in her neck. He was back in reality, but whatever he had seen was out of this world. What the hell was going on?

He quickly made his way to his feet, his claws freeing themselves from her neck as he moved and as soon as he was standing, he shook his hand, trying to rid himself of the feeling he had gotten at seeing _whatever_ it was he had just seen.

"What was that?" Peter demanded, no longer caring how desperate he sounded. When he looked back at her, she too was on her feet, coming closer to him, her hand over the back of her neck.

"That's the Anuk-ite. It creates and feeds off of fear and it's affecting the hunters and it'll make them come for everyone, even you." Malia explained. Peter tried to subdue the urge to demand more from her but he knew that she had shown him more than enough for him to get started. He could tell Sydney about this Anuk-ite, or, he could call up Aidan and ask him to help him find out more about it, leaving Sydney out of the fight all together.

"And the incorruptible Scott still thinks he can keep his hands clean." Peter countered. Scott wasn't willing to kill, but Peter, well Peter had no qualms about ending people. "That's why you wanted to meet, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" Malia shot back. Clearly she was on the defensive, well if it was news to her that Peter was better at reading people than she thought-

"Lying to someone who's just been in your head? I wouldn't recommend it." Peter stated. "You know that your only chance is to surround your delicate Scott with killers: killers like me…and you."

But not Sydney, not if he could help it. Peter knew that she'd be right next to him, helping to kill whoever needed to be killed, she wasn't clean, before her eyes had been red, they were blue, the same steely blue eyes of a killer like he had.

No, no he wasn't going to involve her though, he was going to handle this on his own, in fact, he wasn't going to get involved at all. If he wasn't involved, Sydney couldn't get involved and they'd both be just fine at the end of the day.

"Will you fight with us, or not?" Malia was bordering on impatient but Peter knew when it was time to walk away. He wasn't going to fight, he wasn't going to involve himself in a battle where the leader was unwilling to kill, but most importantly, he wasn't going to get in the middle of something that would put him, or his family, in danger. This was something Scott could handle, and if he couldn't, well there were lots of places they could run.

"You can't fight that thing." Peter stated. He took in one final glance of her standing in front of him before turning his back to face her. He took a few steps but she wasn't done with him, not yet at least.

"That's right. Go running back to your cars and things you care about more than anything else." Malia called after him.

Oh boy, if only she _knew_ why he was walking away. He _did_ care about more than his cars and his things, he cared about Sydney, Bruin, even Sam who wasn't even his biologically. They were his to protect, and that's exactly what he was going to do. He'd keep them alive, through any means necessary.

If that meant flying to the moon, that's what'd he'd do. There wasn't a damn thing on the face of the earth that would take his girls away from him.

Peter paused in his movements though and turned back around to face Malia, reminding himself why he was walking away. Bruin, Bruin would come first, she was his priority. She couldn't fight for herself, she couldn't protect herself, but Malia, oh Malia could take care of herself, of this he had no doubt.

She'd make it, her and Scott, the ever optimistic true alpha, would figure something out, right? That was how it always worked, and then they'd save Beacon Hills.

Digging his hand into his pocket, Peter pulled out a set of keys, looking down at it in his palm. He tipped his head ever so slightly to the side and lifted his arm up, closing the distance between them. Pressing the keys against her hand, he plastered what he was hoping was an arrogant look on his face. He'd get the last laugh and then he'd run home to make sure Sydney had everything under control there.

He wasn't going to lose her again, and he definitely wasn't going to lose Bruin.

"One of the cars was for _you_." Peter stated matter-of-factly. His back was turned to her once again but he didn't even get two feet from her.

"Peter." The way she said his name, it was so sad almost, so desperate. She made a move to toss him the keys back and he caught them effortlessly, shaking his head slightly at her resilience to accepting anything from him. "I don't want your stupid car."

Without even missing a beat, Peter continued on his way, keys in hand, and a prayer in his head. He just wanted Malia to make it out alive too, he wasn't sure what he'd do if she didn't, but he didn't want to find out.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts? Anyone?_**


	31. Chapter 31

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 31** **:**

What had he been expecting, well, he certainly hadn't been expecting _that_.

His precious cars hadn't done a damn thing, and such a fine automobile should not have been targeted with a bomb, even if Peter himself was a lingering threat to Gerard and his group of amateur hunters.

No, not his cars, not the precious Shelby that he had bought for himself, and certainly not the one he had gotten for Malia, why, _why_ had the hunters blown them up, it wasn't like the cars had done anything to warrant being destroyed, they were innocent in all this. They hadn't hurt a fly.

Oh but he had, and he knew that Gerard was well aware of how much of a threat Peter could be to his little gang of misfit hunters. Just because he wasn't willing to team up with Scott, as per Malia's request, didn't mean that he wouldn't fight back if the time came to do so. He'd kill if he had to, he'd maim in order to protect what was his and he wouldn't think twice about doing it.

Peter Hale was a monster when he needed to be and he was sure that the time for him to fight was drawing nearer, especially after being nearly blown to smithereens.

Sydney would not like hearing about this, that was for sure.

It had all happened so fast, he had climbed into the driver's side of his mustang and before he had a chance to even start it up, a low ticking had sounded out inside. His hand had been on the door but it was too late, the car, and Peter himself, had been blown up. If it hadn't been for his super human healing abilities, he knew he would've been a goner.

But it would take more than that to get rid of him, he was like a cockroach, no matter what the hunters threw at him, he'd come crawling out of the crevices stronger than ever, and definitely more pissed off.

For god's sake though, they didn't have to blow up the second car, there was no one in it- unless…did they _know_ that it was for Malia, were the hunters gunning for her too, hoping that she would've been in the car?

"I'm going to rip that man's throat out." Peter growled and watched from a few feet away as his vehicles continued to burn. The fire was still hot and he could feel the smoke settling in his lungs. He was ready to fight, he _wanted_ to fight, now all he had to do was figure out how to get around not letting Sydney know what was really going on in Beacon Hills.

That would be a chore in itself, but surely Peter could figure something out, he was smart, he was practically a genius, much superior in regards to intelligence than most of her pack. So why was this so hard? Why was trying to keep her out of the fight something that he was struggling with?

Peter shook his head, gripped the singed steering wheel in his hand and looked up to the darkening night sky. He knew exactly why he was having such an inner conflict about Sydney knowing; she was an asset.

Sydney Vance was strong, fiercely so, insanely smart and she was a skilled fighter, even more so since he had gotten himself locked away in Eichen House. Sydney practiced almost daily to better herself and it definitely showed. She would be great in a fight, he'd love to have her on his team, and if it wasn't for the two little girls residing in the house with them, he'd tell her in a heartbeat.

 _But_ Bruin needed her mother and Sam needed someone to look out for her.

Rolling his eyes, Peter turned his attention back to the burning cars and decided that he needed to talk to Malia, he needed to find her and try to figure something out. He wasn't going to admit he wanted to help her but he was going to try and feel out what her plan was. If she was willing to meet up with Peter behind Scott's back, then surely she had some sort of idea of her own kicking around.

And seeing as she was genetically a Hale, he knew it wouldn't be totally asinine.

Clutching the steering wheel in his hand, he began his trek away from the charred cars. He could track Malia easily, her scent still lingered in the air seeing as he hadn't gotten too far, so with ease, Peter began following her trail. It was easy, maybe too easy, but he wasn't going to question it now, no, he had made it out of the explosion alive- barely but it didn't really matter- which meant that the hunters hadn't succeeded.

They'd have to know he wasn't dead, right? Someone would realize he hadn't perished in the attempt on his life, no matter how harsh it had been. There was no way they'd just _let_ Peter live.

As he wandered closer and closer to his teenaged daughter, Peter's mind drifted to his baby girl. What would she be like when she was older?

Would Bruin be as tenacious as Malia, would she be as brash and blunt? Part of him hoped not but then again, if he had anything to do about it, Bruin wouldn't spend eight years trapped in her animal form, no, she'd grow up with a mother who cared for her and loved her, and if that meant he had to sacrifice himself, then so be it.

His life was worth it, he'd give up everything to make sure his little girl grew up with at least one of her parents.

He hoped that Bruin would be smart, though with a mother like Sydney and a father like him, he figured it was inevitable. The girl was set, so long as she had someone to look after her. Bruin was his second chance and he wasn't going to waste it, he was going to do whatever he could to keep her safe, to protect her from the bad in the world.

Malia's scent grew stronger and Peter fought back the urge to scoff as he began to realize where he was headed. When he crossed into the parking lot of the high school, he knew he was in the right place. No matter what was going on in this miserable town, it always came back to the high school.

His ears caught wind of more than just Malia, but Peter couldn't narrow down exactly how many people were with her. He knew it was more than three but any more than that and he couldn't pinpoint the different heartbeats. Rolling his shoulders back, Peter prepared himself to wander into a group of people who didn't want him around, he knew he wasn't exactly welcome but the thought of being outnumbered, especially when Scott was involved, wasn't something that he took lightly.

Closing in on the door, he reached his free hand out and set it on the icy cold handle. Something didn't _feel_ right, something bad was going to happen and Peter wasn't sure he was going to be able to stop it anymore. Yes he could run, he could get Sydney to run too but the chances of convincing an alpha as powerful as she was to leave weren't that great.

Sydney, as much as he loved her, could be extremely stubborn.

"It's a bad day for finding bodies." Malia's voice flooded his ears and he paused, trying to figure out how many of them were inside. If he just waited, if he counted the different voices, then surely he'd be at an advantage.

There were unfamiliar scents wafting from inside and even a scent that was vaguely familiar, from when he fought against the Ghost Riders. Theo, was that the kid's name, Theo, the very kid that Sydney seemed to despise, was that him inside?

If that was the case, why was he working with Scott, unless…had this Theo kid flipped sides, had he turned good, or was he just aligning himself with the supernaturals out of sheer desperation?

"There's going to be a lot more if we don't find Aaron's other half." Liam, oh yes, Liam, Scott's little beta, a beta that Sydney seemed rather fond of. So Scott's pack was inside, this was a pack meeting, and Peter was about to interrupt. He only hoped that they didn't decide to turn on him right then and there, it was obvious by his recent choices that he most likely wasn't welcome.

But Malia was blood, she'd help him, right? Okay, so maybe Peter didn't have that much faith in her, she was way too loyal to Scott to help him out, but maybe, just maybe, she could give him a ride home, that way they could have a few minutes alone.

"Which we know nothing about." Ah yes, that was Theo, there was no way that Peter could forget a voice that made Sydney tense up like she had the night they defeated the Ghost Riders. What was it about the kid that made Sydney's blood boil, what about Theo put her so on edge?

Making a mental note to ask her about it sometime, as subtly as he possibly could of course, Peter focused in on the task at hand. He wasn't here just to eavesdrop, no, he was here to find Malia.

Peter hesitated though, listening as Scott's voice was the next to sound out.

"We do know one thing; we know it's a werewolf."

"We need to find this other werewolf right now." Liam responded and Peter took the kid's words to heart. They were talking about two halves of a whole, two people who would become one. Was that what they were dealing with? Something that, when two halves met, would be some sort of catastrophic evil?

" _Preferably_ before they merge." Theo once again spoke. Peter mulled over the possibility of what this kid knew. He seemed to be rather knowledgeable when it came to the supernatural, maybe he was an asset, maybe he could be valuable to the pack, but that would involve Sydney being open to the idea of offering him a place by her side, and Peter knew that wasn't going to be an easy task.

"What happens if they merge?" Malia quipped, such a good question, a great question in fact. And it had been asked by _his_ daughter. If he wasn't still shaken up by his attempted murder, he'd almost be proud.

"I don't know, but I got a feeling that it's not going to be good." Scott countered.

Of course it wouldn't be good, there was a reason it was in two halves. Two weaker halves were easier to defeat than one powerful being. Good lord, Peter was starting to actually miss the impossibly irritating Stiles Stilinski, at least when he was around, when he was a close part of the pack, he provided them all with the intelligence that they needed, an intelligence even he could respect.

"Any chance you, uh, put together that army, Scott?" Liam asked, Peter sucking in a breath and readying himself to enter the building. God what he wouldn't give to be at home without this huge threat lurking in the darkness. Why, oh _why_ couldn't things just be simple, why couldn't him and Sydney just live happily ever after without having to deal with this sort of mayhem?

"You're looking at it." Malia was quick to respond and Peter stepped forward, his fingers still wrapped tightly around the steering wheel. He pulled the door open and stepped just inside, suddenly all eyes were on him. Were they so oblivious to the fact that he had been outside almost the entire time? Weren't they all some sort of supernatural creature?

Useless, they were all useless, they didn't hear him coming, they didn't sense his presence, it was a wonder they were all still alive at this point in time.

"Let's hope this thing doesn't feed off desperation, because this room reeks of it." Peter drawled, glancing around the room quickly, counting just the four of them. Okay, this he could deal with, he wasn't here to start a fight, he was merely here to get an edge. No one made a move to come near him.

"What happened?" Scott questioned him quickly. Peter didn't answer right away, instead he raised his arm and brought the steering wheel in his hand upwards, as if that was all the answer they needed.

"Hunters…destroyed my perfect automobile. So, if this thing had anything to do with it, I'd like to see its demise is appropriately painful." Peter answered, his gaze moving away from Scott as he looked off to the side, his mind fading back to being in the car as it was blown to pieces.

Letting the steering wheel slam down onto the surface of the nearest table, Peter gave the slightest shake of his head and thought about all of the painful things he would do to whatever he could get his hands on. This 'Anuke-ite' was going to suffer and all of the hunters involved in the destruction of his cars would writhe in pain before he'd slowly kill them all.

"I thought you had two cars?" Malia pointed out.

He leveled her with a glare before pulling the burnt and crusted second set of keys out of his pocket. Lifting it up in front of him, he held it there for a second before dropping it to the ground, effectively letting them all know that it was gone too. Damn those hunters, damn them all.

"There's going to be hell to pay." Peter stated, his eyes landing on Malia.

"Then you'll fight with us?" Liam, Scott's little beta was the first one to talk. Peter bit back a scoff but didn't answer him. He still wasn't entirely sure what he wanted to do, fighting with Scott McCall wasn't ideal but if it was his only option, then he certainly wasn't about to pass it up.

"He's not going to fight with us." Malia announced with a roll of her eyes. She stared at him, studying him, but Peter wasn't giving anything away. He didn't want her to know anything, he didn't want her to get any ideas, he just wanted to talk to her, without the rest of the pack around them.

"Running is still an option." Peter lied, but he knew none of them were aware that he was being deceitful. He had way too much practice to give himself away that easily. "Probably the best one, once I get my revenge of course."

"So what _do_ you want?" Scott pressed, even going as far as to take a step closer to him, subconsciously shielding his pack from Peter.

The sudden urge to smirk erupted within him but Peter managed to fight it off. Watching Scott was entertaining, he could see the similarities between him and Sydney, but there was one glaring difference between the true alpha in front of him and the alpha that he was mated to; Sydney was no stranger to taking a life, and she wouldn't have any qualms about it if it came down to it.

"A ride home." Peter answered simply, not wanting to divulge anything more than that. "I would walk but who knows where these amateurs are lurking…"

"I got this." Malia threw her hand up into the air and Scott seemed to back down. He fell in line with the rest of his pack while Malia moved towards the door, ushering Peter outside. She paused in the door though and threw Scott a look over her shoulder.

He wasn't dumb, no, and it was so blatantly obvious what she felt for the true alpha, and Peter could not see a good outcome. His daughter had feelings for Scott.

Hell, as if it hadn't been bad enough when Malia had been with Stiles, no this, _this_ was way worse.

"Be careful." Scott called out after them and Peter shot him a look as if to say 'who do you think I am'. "I was talking to her."

Malia scoffed at him but wandered through the door, Peter falling in step behind her. She led him back to the parking lot but moved much faster than him. He ran his hand over his face and tried to wipe off as much of the ash as he could, and when he looked up, he took note that Malia was a god twenty yards in front of him.

She was fast, he'd give her that, but she hadn't left without him. Instead, she was making her way into her car, Peter walking across the asphalt, closing in on the car, the car that wasn't the one he had gotten for her. She was already sitting behind the steering wheel in the driver's seat by the time he approached and without hesitating for a second, he pulled the passenger door open and climbed inside, shutting the door once he was securely inside.

He shot her a look and busied himself by putting on the seatbelt. She didn't move though, not even an inch. She sat there, still as all get out and he knew there was something more to this than her just giving him a ride home.

She was hiding more from him, more than just the Anuke-ite.

"What's the hold up? I have a _lot_ of revenge to plan." Peter stated calmly, his voice firm.

"No revenge until you tell me why you came back." Malia countered, turning her head to face him. He cocked his head sideways and wondered if maybe she wasn't a lot smarter than he gave her credit for. She could play games just as well as he could apparently.

"Gerard and his hunters blew up my _cars_ , hoping that I would be inside one of them." Peter explained. "That's not enough of a reason for you?"

"You're lying." Malia sing-songed in reply.

"Well, that goes without saying." Peter pointed out, turning his attention to the front of the car, his eyes peering out the windshield.

"Something in my head convinced you." Malia leaned in the slightest bit closer to him and Peter's eyes widened at her theory. Okay so she wasn't all that far off, but there was way more to this than she would ever be able to understand. Malia was already involved, she was already willing to fight the Anuke-ite, and the hunters, which meant that he had someone he could fight _with_ , all the while keeping the rest of _his_ pack out of it.

A figure wandering across the parking lot had caught his attention and Peter watched carefully as Scott moseyed over to the infamous Stilinski jeep a few spots away.

There was way more to her memories than she had wanted him to see and Peter knew more than she figured he did. It was obvious to anyone within a five foot radius that Malia and Scott weren't 'just' friends, no, Malia wanted so much more. How deep did her feelings run though, was it merely a crush or was it love?

" _Scott, wake up. Scott!"_ Malia's voice sounded out in his head and he tried to fight off the vision of the two of them facing the Ghost Riders in the tunnels. It was the memory of Malia curled up against him, her claiming _"I don't want to die here, not here, not like this"_ that had really gotten to him.

He wanted her to have everything good in life, even if he'd never admit it out loud. He wanted her to be happy, to have what she wanted, to have _who_ she wanted, even if he didn't necessarily approve.

She was his daughter, she'd _always_ be his daughter, no matter what.

"He's going to get himself killed." Peter said softly, his eyes locking onto the true alpha, watching as he climbed into the jeep. "Don't fall in love with a dead man."

Malia finally put the key into the ignition and turned the car on. She turned her attention to the front of the car and sucked in a breath.

"Too late."

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Sydney heard the car door slamming in her driveway from all the way upstairs. Aidan was camped out on the floor in Sam's room for the time being, at least until Peter got home, that way if anyone tried to come after them, there'd be two mature werewolves to protect the two youngsters and not just Sydney by herself.

She didn't want to take any chances and if she had back up in the house with her, then she felt a little more comfortable. Sure she could generally handle herself but she had two little girls to worry about and having an extra body with her was just what she needed at that moment, especially considering Peter had left and hadn't called or texted her to let her know when he was coming back.

She wasn't concerned about him per say but it was getting late and after hearing Ethan explaining what was going on in London, she had started to get a little anxious. Aidan had shown up at the perfect time, not even giving Sydney a chance to fret over the fact that she was alone with two little girls, one of whom was completely defenseless and one of whom wasn't entirely confident in her own werewolf abilities.

She appreciated it, she loved having Aidan back in the house, even if it was just temporarily. Now though, at the sound of the front door opening, she tensed and made her way to her feet from her former sitting position on her bed. She rushed out into the hall and forced her claws out, readying herself to protect her pack if she had to, but before she had a chance to bring her razor sharp canines out, she smelled Peter's familiar scent, albeit a little more _crisp_ than normal, wafting up to her nose.

Rushing down the stairs, she nearly collided with the man in question in the kitchen, Peter's arms reaching out to stop her, drawing her in against his chest and burying his nose in her hair. She took in the charred odour and felt the gritty feeling of ash on his clothes.

Jesus Christ, what the hell had happened to him?

"I'm fine." Peter stated firmly, lifting his one hand up and gingerly resting his palm against the back of her head. He just needed her to know that he was okay, he was alive, and that was all that mattered.

"What the hell happened?" She countered and leaned back, putting space between their faces. She looked up into his eyes and ran her fingers along the side of his jaw, testing his skin to make sure it was just as fine as he claimed it to be. "Oh god, did someone try to set you on fire like they did with Parrish? Please tell me-"

"My car was blown up, with me inside of it." He cut her off, hoping to steer her clear of a full blown panic attack. She worried, even if she didn't admit it, sure Peter was perfectly capable of handling his own business but it didn't stop Sydney from fearing the worst. Plus, at least he figured, it was hard for her to trust him completely, his trip to Mexico weighing on his mind. "I'm fine though, no worse for wear, well, except the car of course, it's a total write off."

"Oh my god." She whimpered and set her palms on the sides of his neck, holding him steady as she stared into his eyes, studying him carefully. Peter had been in the car when someone had blown it up? What the hell was happening here? What was really going on and how much of it was connected to what Ethan had told her about not that long ago? "Who…what…fuck!"

"Hunters." Peter supplied a best as he could. He didn't know exactly what she wanted to ask, or what precisely was running through her mind, but at least if he could provide her with that one word, then maybe she'd be able to form a sentence instead of stammering, at a sheer loss for words.

"Hunters blew up your car? _With_ you inside?" She echoed his words from earlier only this time she was questioning him. Okay, well he could work with this, one step at a time right? "Hunters attacked you?"

"Yes, we just went through this." Peter quipped.

"Hunters attacked Ethan." Sydney stated in a breathy tone and backed away from him completely. She set one hand on her hip and turned her back to him before throwing her head back and letting out a groan. "It's happening, oh my _god_ , it's happening here too."

"Sydney?" Peter found himself confused. He was the one who was attacked, what was she saying about Ethan, in fact, wasn't Ethan in England? Was he attacked over in London? "What are you talking about?"

"Gerard." Sydney bowed her head and slowly turned around to face him once again. Her eyes were glowing red and he took a step forward, gingerly setting his finger under her chin and tipping her head up so that he could look into her fiery red alpha eyes. "Ethan said that it was Gerard, the hunters that attacked him over in London…god dammit."

She let out a severe groan and her body seemed to tense up immediately at the newly discovered threat. What the hell was she talking about, what did she know that he didn't? He needed to know more, he needed to know what Ethan had to do with anything and why he had been attacked. What did Sydney know?

What did she _think_ was going on?

"Ethan said that the hunters that attacked him asked him about other werewolves, and that they had a bag of claws, proof that they were killed. Someone wants to hunt down every single werewolf out there-"

"More than just werewolves." Peter piped up, trying to add his piece to the conversation.

"What?" Her eyes widened, nearly bugging out of her head. _More_ than just werewolves? So he knew about it, he knew about Gerard and the threat that he brought with his mere presence here in Beacon Hills, but he hadn't known how far Gerard's hands reached. How long _had_ he known? "That's why Scott wanted to meet isn't it? You _knew_ and you didn't tell me?"

"Not quite." Peter tipped his head sideways. "I didn't really know how deep this went but I knew that something wasn't right."

"Peter…" She growled, letting her voice trail off. She turned her head and peered at the stairs, making note that Aidan was sitting at the top of them watching her and Peter carefully. His eyes moved back and forth between the two of them but he didn't make a move to interrupt. Peter followed her gaze and narrowed his eyes in on the beta inside his house. Why was Aidan here- okay, maybe he shouldn't be questioning the man's presence.

After all, Peter was the one who had left Sydney alone in the house with Bruin and Sam, at least if Aidan was here, they had another layer of protection. He wasn't going to let Aidan know that though, he had a reputation to uphold, and he certainly wasn't going to let the younger man know that he sort of, somewhat, barely managed to tolerate his presence in the pack simply because it was another body that would stand between the threats out there and Bruin.

"Deucalion's back in town." Aidan stated, his eyes locked on Sydney, even though he was informing Peter, since his alpha already knew. "My brother was attacked and you didn't think to mention that to me?"

Sydney raised her arms in the air in surrender and let out a huff of defeat. What the hell was she doing here, what was she trying to prove? Everyone seemed to be keeping secrets and she didn't like it, not one bit. They were a pack, what she knew, they should know, to a point of course. This was something they all should know.

"He's on his way back here, him and Jackson." Sydney stated. "He wanted to explain in person."

"Deucalion's _here_?" Peter spoke up, throwing his hands into the air, finally letting Aidan's words sink in. "Why?"

"Probably for the same reason that you went to meet with Scott." Sydney rounded on her heels and leveled him with a glare. "You're not the only one who's a _reformed_ bad guy. So, are you going to tell me _why_ exactly you went to see Scott, or maybe we should just jump to what you found out, yeah?"

Oh, okay, yes, this sounded like the Sydney that he was most familiar with. She was ready to fight him, she wanted to know what they were dealing with and Peter could tell her that much. He knew what the threat was called, he knew what Malia told him and he could let Sydney in on the secret so that she could get to work figuring out how to beat it. If Ethan was coming back to Beacon Hills, and Aidan was aware of what was going on, surely the pack could come up with some sort of solution.

"The Anuke-ite." Peter gave a firm nod of his head.

"The _what_?" Sydney cried out. "I thought this was Gerard!"

"There's more to it than that, _way_ more."

"You better start talking Peter." Sydney closed in on him, reaching a hand out and wrapping her fingers around his wrist. "And you better tell me everything."

"I think the same should go for you." Aidan added from his place on the stairs. He leveled her with a hard stare and she let out a sigh, knowing that Aidan had a point. They were a pack, it was time they acted like one. "No more secrets."

"Fine." Sydney acquiesced. "No more secrets."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts?_**


	32. Chapter 32

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 32** **:**

Sydney knew Aidan was on edge, ever since the night before, when she had sat down at the kitchen table with both him and Peter and put everything on the table (figuratively anyways), it was easy to see that Aidan was anxiously awaiting his brother's return home.

The sun was just starting to come up and Peter was upstairs with Bruin, Sam helping him like the faithful little companion that she was. Sydney didn't understand why Sam was so comfortable with the man but she wasn't going to question it, if the little girl trusted Peter, if she liked being around him, that was better than her being afraid of him. It was odd to her but Sam was smart and maybe Sydney knew that Peter wouldn't ever _hurt_ Sam, or Bruin for that matter.

They were his girls as much as they were hers, and Sydney wouldn't trade them for a thing.

Aidan was sitting with her at the table yet again, a mug of freshly brewed coffee in front of him while Sydney rested hers on the table, her hands wrapped around the mug leeching the warmth from it. She tipped her head sideways and let her eyes fall shut gently, her mind wandering to ideas on how they were going to deal with whatever was happening in Beacon Hills.

Peter had brought up the idea of running but Sydney had been quick to point out that if the hunters had managed to find Ethan all the way overseas in London, well that didn't leave a whole lot of places left to run. Peter had thrown out the idea of hiding out in the Hale vault and- okay, so Sydney had been opposed to the idea at first, the longer she thought about it, the more she was starting to like it. She could hide Bruin and Sam inside, leaving the only people with access to the vault being Hales.

It seemed like the ideal place to keep her girls safe, which left the main issue at hand being who would stay inside the vault with them.

It was obvious that Peter wanted Sydney to remain tucked away with Bruin and Sam, and Aidan had been quick to agree, but Sydney wanted to fight, she wanted to play a part in the defeat of Gerard, she wanted to end the man who had caused her, and her family, so much turmoil.

Gerard Argent needed to die, and she wanted to be the one to end him, once and for all.

When she had tossed out the idea of having Aidan be the one locked inside the vault with the girls, both men had been quick to argue, but Sydney was the alpha, she had reminded them of such, and even if it was through a heavy dose of reluctance, she had won the battle. She was going to stand by Peter's side, she was going to fight Gerard and his band of hunters, she was going to help the others free themselves of the threat of the Anuke-ite.

"I called Charlie last night like you asked." Aidan stated, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. Sydney brought her eyes down so that she met Aidan's, an almost sad look lingering within her irises. "She's fine, Isaac's fine and Steve's fine. They're going to hole up at her dad's house and he's going to set up some protective measures."

"Protective measures like what?" Sydney quipped and suddenly the mental picture of Steve standing guard at the front door with a shotgun flooded into her head. What _was_ the human capable of?

He was Charlie's father, so Sydney merely assumed that the answer to that was that he was capable of anything that would keep his daughter alive. She just prayed that they'd be able to keep themselves from danger until the remaining pack in Beacon Hills took care of business on their end.

"I didn't ask, honestly I didn't want to know, but I'd like to imagine that the man has a mean streak in him. He's a doctor right, he's got access to all sorts of cool drugs and impromptu weapons." Aidan pointed out, a small smirk spreading out on his face.

"Right." Sydney rolled her eyes, suddenly her mental picture of Steve with a shotgun turned into Steve with a handful of scalpels. Either way, she knew her pack wasn't going to go down without a fight. "I couldn't get a hold of Derek last night."

"Didn't you figure as much?" Aidan countered, his smirk faltering. He knew how close her and Derek were, he could see how his absence was affecting her, but he also knew not to mention it to her. She didn't want him to know how bad she was hurting since her pack had split up, but Aidan had faith everything would work out. No matter how far away her betas were, they were still loyal to her and only her. "He's not an easy person to get in touch with."

"True but still…" She trailed off, letting out a soft sigh of frustration. God this sucked, it sucked real bad, but what could she do? "I'm just waiting for Ethan to let me know he's back on American soil."

"Any minute now." Aidan nodded, lifting up his coffee mug and taking a small sip. "I can't believe Gerard managed to get control of hunters all the way in England."

"You and me both." Sydney grumbled. "Someone should've killed that man ages ago."

A blanket of silence fell over the kitchen and Sydney tuned her ears in to the comforting noises from upstairs. Sam was giggling and Peter was talking to her, telling her some sort of story about a wolf, an entertaining story apparently. She could also hear Bruin's content coos, which was definitely a nice thing to hear. God everything had gotten so messed up so fast.

After months of peace and quiet, Sydney had gotten almost used to the idea that they were all going to be alright. She had started to let her guard down, had accepted that her pack wanted to break off and do their own thing, all of them ignoring the fact that good things didn't just happen to werewolves.

No, bad things always managed to happen, bad people always managed to find them, buy Sydney wasn't going to go down without giving it her all. She'd fight as long as she could and her pack would do the same.

The vibrating of her phone from inside the pocket on her jeans shocked her back to reality and Sydney moved her hands away from her coffee mug, fishing the device free from the denim material and hitting the answer button. She quickly hit speakerphone and set the cell phone so that the screen was facing up on the middle of the table, that way Aidan could be a part of the conversation too.

She was well aware that the twins had spoken last night and they were relatively on the same page, okay at the very least, they were both in the same book. Aidan knew his brother was attacked, he knew that he was with Jackson and he knew that Ethan was flying in this morning.

"You're on speaker Ethan." Sydney announced and stole a quick glance towards the stairs. "It's just me and Aidan though, Peter's with the girls."

"Good morning." Ethan responded, his voice sounding much cheerier than she was anticipating. "We should be in Beacon Hills within the hour, but we're making a pit stop."

"A pit stop?" Sydney questioned, Aidan nodding his head along, wanting to know more too. "Why? Where?"

"No worries, Jackson and I are just going to check out the high school, see if maybe we can't find Scott there."

"I think you should just come here." Aidan piped up, concern clearly evident in his tone. "Straight here."

"We'll be fine, what could possibly happen at the high school?" Ethan drawled in response. He had a point, it was broad daylight, they'd be in a highly populated area, what _could_ go wrong?

"Famous last words." Aidan muttered and flopped backward against the back of his chair.

"You come straight here after, deal?" Sydney threw out, hoping Ethan would agree. The longer she went without Ethan, the more off put she felt. She just wanted her pack together, or at least as much of it as possible, she didn't even care that Ethan was bringing Jackson Whittemore along with him. In her mind, he was another pair of capable hands, an asset to their team.

"Yeah, sounds good. See you guys soon." Ethan chirped.

"Be careful." Sydney leaned forward, her voice lowering slightly. "Promise me you'll be careful."

"Always."

The sound of the dial tone echoed in the kitchen and Sydney reached her hand out, hitting the end call button. She peered across the table at Aidan and pressed her lips together before blowing out a breath. Aidan pushed at the cell phone, scooting it closer to Sydney, who picked it up and stared at the screen.

Ethan was here on American soil, he'd be in Beacon Hills soon enough and hopefully he'd be in her home just as soon. God she missed him, she missed having her pack together in one place, making it easier to protect them all. She liked having a group of people surrounding her, willing to fight with her, and, barring the lingering threat within Beacon Hills, she was excited to be back together, for the most part.

Charlie and Isaac would remain far away from the immediate action. If they happened to get attacked, if hunters managed to get through Steve and his defensive measures, then they'd deal with that when the time came. There was a bigger threat right in the middle of Beacon Hills.

"Do you trust Jackson?" Sydney spoke up, looking at Aidan through her lashes. She was vaguely familiar with the kid, she knew he had been a murderous kanima once upon a time, but Derek had given him the werewolf 101 before he had flitted off to London. Maybe the kid had grown up a bit since then, maybe his arrogance had morphed into something a little more mature.

"I don't not trust him." Aidan offered with a shrug. "You?"

Sydney cocked her head sideways and sucked in an anxious breath, "I don't think it matters, to me, this seems like an 'all hands on deck' sort of deal. Jackson is another pair of hands, our _army_ is growing, even if it's at a snail's pace."

"Have you thought about getting in contact with Scott yourself?" Aidan questioned. "What about Stiles, has anyone checked in with him?"

"He's not supernatural," Sydney remarked, "Gerard's not hunting humans. I say we leave him out of this, we leave as many innocent humans out of this as we can."

"I think it's too late for that." Aidan confessed.

He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his elbows against the edge of the table. Sydney nodded her head in understanding, feeling almost exactly the same way as he did. Too many people had already gotten hurt and not just because of Gerard Argent. There were way more senseless deaths in the town than anyone could fathom but hadn't they done as much as possible? Had they done their very best?

When Peter's footsteps echoed from the hallway upstairs, Sydney turned her attention to the stairs and watched carefully as Sam led the way, grabbing the banister and making her way downwards. Peter walked along right behind her, Bruin clutched against his chest as he moved calmly down each step.

"Morning Sam." Sydney plastered a smile onto her face and tried to relax in the chair. Sam hit the base of the stairs and broke out into a jog, launching herself at Sydney and clambering up onto her lap. She leaned her back against Sydney's chest and the alpha's arms came around her shoulders, holding Sam tight. "I heard you giggling upstairs."

"Petey was being funny." She replied, a cheery little grin on her face.

"I was not." Peter argued but shot a wink in Sam's direction.

"When do we get to go play with Aidan in the vault?" Sam quipped, turning her head sideways so that she could get a better look at Sydney. Sydney leaned down and pressed a kiss against the top of her head, peering up at Peter, who nodded in response. That was what he had told her, well it was a lot nicer than what she would've come up with.

Sam was going to 'play in the vault' with Aidan, sounded like a reasonable explanation to her.

"Soon, we're just going to get some breakfast in you two girls and then we'll be off." Sydney supplied, rocking Sam back and forth gently. "Don't forget to pack some toys and stuff."

"I especially like colouring books." Aidan threw out and Sam's eyes lit up at the prospect of colouring with Aidan. "I hope you have lots of crayons."

"I do!" Sam squealed in excitement and wrapped her fingers against the edge of the table. "Can we eat now please, I want to go play in the vault."

Peter hesitantly handed baby Bruin off to Aidan and worked his way into the kitchen. He paused at the edge of the island and looked at Sydney, trying to convey with his eyes that he still didn't totally agree with her not being the one in the vault.

"Any word from Derek?" He asked, Sydney shaking her head no. "We'll keep trying then."

"Yeah." Sydney bowed her head and pressed another kiss against Sam's head. She then looked across the table at Bruin, who was safely in Aidan's hold.

The man across from her was the one who held her baby's life in his hands. If, god forbid, someone managed to get themselves into the vault, he was the last thing standing between them and Bruin and Sam. She had faith that he'd give his all, he'd give his life if it came down to it, she trusted Aidan completely.

"Let's eat." Aidan whooped, sensing the tension forming in the room.

The sooner they were tucked away safely in the vault, the sooner Sydney could breathe easier.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"Syd," Aidan sucked in a breath and doubled over as the three adults and Sam wandered towards the Hale vault, Bruin securely wrapped in a blanket and being held in her mother's arms. There was a diaper bag slung over her shoulder with more than just supplies for Bruin; a flashlight for Aidan in case he needed it and some snacks for him and Sam in addition to food for Bruin.

Sydney paused just in front of her beta and turned around to face him, watching as he clutched his stomach before squatting down. He looked like he was hurting but she had no idea why- oh god! Oh god had someone sniped him from somewhere far away?

Had he been hit without her knowing it?

Without thinking about it, she too bent over and covered Bruin with her body, shielding the baby from any potential threat, but once Aidan realized what she was doing, he immediately shook his head no.

No? No what?

No don't bother trying to protect her? Don't bother hiding because the hunters would get her too? Or no, as in no, that wasn't what was going on?

Peter rushed towards them, closing the gap that had fallen between them. Sam was perched on his hip as he moved and when he came to stand next to Sydney, he set his palm on her lower back in a questioning gesture.

"It's not me." Aidan gritted his teeth and dropped his butt down to the hard, asphalt surface of the parking lot. He leaned back and ran his fingers across his stomach, sucking in a breath and trying to remain calm. "I'm not…I'm not hurt."

"Looks like you are." Sam remarked and clutched Peter's jacket in her hands tightly. She gripped him hard, fearful of what was happening but not totally freaking out because she knew Peter would protect her. "Aidan, what's wrong?"

Sydney cautiously straightened up and lifted her one hand up, motioning for them all to be quiet. She let her eyes fall shut and focused her hearing on her surroundings. She didn't hear anything, no other, foreign heartbeats, no presence around them. They were all alone here, so why, _why_ , was Aidan clutching his stomach and talking to them like he was in pain?

"I can feel…ugh!" Aidan cried out and rolled to the side, his body tensing from whatever it was he was feeling. "Jesus! It feels like…it feels like my entire insides are being fried."

"Petey?" Sam turned her attention to the man holding her and he cocked his head sideways, studying the writhing beta on the ground. What the hell was his issue? What was going on with him, unless…unless someone had gotten to his brother, had something happened to Ethan? Was Aidan in pain because of pain that Ethan was experiencing?

He knew that werewolves in packs sometimes felt when another member of the pack was dying, or extremely hurt, but Ethan and Aidan were twins, which meant that their bond ran deeper than just betas in a pack. He also knew that Sydney could feel Stiles pain through some weird bond that they had, so was it possible that Aidan was hurting because Ethan was?

"I'm calling Ethan." Peter announced and leaned down, setting Sam's feet on the ground. She reluctantly released her hold on him and moved quickly over to Sydney, wrapping her arms around her one leg and holding on to it tightly. Sydney remained where she stood and watched from afar as Peter dug his phone out of his pocket and flipped through his contacts.

When the phone was pressed against his ear, Sydney held her breath, hoping and praying that Ethan picked up on the other end of the line. Jesus, no, this couldn't be happening. Ethan was just going to head over to the high school, it's not like he could've been ambushed there, right?

But hunters had managed to attack him all the way over in London, there were no boundaries when it came to war. Oh god, oh _god_ , what the hell was happening here?

"He's not picking up." Peter stated and moved the phone away from his ear. He jammed it back into the pocket on his jacket and closed in on Aidan, crouching down next to him and setting his hand on the younger man's arm. "What exactly do you feel?"

"Pain!" Aidan cried out and dropped his entire body to the ground, curling up into the fetal position. Peter moved his hand away from the beta and set it on his shoulder instead. He tried to draw out his pain but there wasn't much to bring to the surface, which only served to worry Peter more. If Aidan was in as much pain as he looked like he was in, why wasn't there anything to draw out?

Unless it was _all_ Ethan's pain…but what exactly was Ethan experiencing, where was he?

"We need to go to the school." Sydney instructed. "We need to get them into the vault and check out the school, maybe we can pick up a scent, a trail to where Ethan went. Maybe he's okay."

"No, no he's not okay." Aidan ground out, his teeth pressed tightly together. It was obvious that her beta was in a lot of pain, but she watched as Peter made another attempt to draw it out of him. No one's veins turned black, and Sydney knew all too well what it was like to feel someone else's pain, she had experienced it a time or two in the past. "Something's hurting him."

"Someone." Peter corrected and rose up to his feet. He extended his hand down to Aidan but the beta didn't take it, instead, he rolled onto his knees and stayed in a crawling position for a few seconds just breathing deeply and trying to combat the pain running through his body. After a little while, Aidan made his way up onto his knees and pressed his hands into his sides, sucking in a huge breath, holding it for a count of three and then letting it out.

"We're sitting ducks out here." Sydney murmured, glancing over her shoulder at the entrance to the high school. They weren't all that far away from the vault, surely they could get inside so that her girls were safe and talk things out from there. Here, in the middle of the parking lot, they were vulnerable to any sort of attack and if, somehow, Ethan had been sidetracked and was now in some sort of pain, what was stopping them from suffering the same fate?

Hunters could be hiding anywhere, ready to attack at any moment, but if they were in the vault, well, only Hales could get in, and the idea of Aidan and her girls being in the security of the vault was starting to feel like the best bet.

"Come on." Peter motioned with his head towards the entrance to the vault. Aidan hopped up to his feet and shook out his body, waving his arms at his sides as the pain in his limbs began to dissipate slightly. He turned towards the rest of his pack and fell in step just behind Peter, who wasn't straying too far from the aching beta for fear that another wave of invisible pain would hit him and bring him to his knees.

The group of them remained closer together then they had initially been and Sydney, with Bruin in her grasp and Sam at her side, led the charge, stopping only when she approached the sign the held the entrance to the vault. She couldn't open it seeing as she wasn't a Hale, but Peter sure could, and one day Bruin would be able to.

When Aidan was right next to her, she reached a hand out and ran it down his arm, giving his elbow a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"You sure you want to stay here with the girls alone?" Sydney posed, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"It's….yeah, I'm good." Aidan replied back slowly, his words softer than she was expecting. "Just promise me you'll try to find my brother."

"Of course." Sydney gave him a nod and Peter made quick work of opening the entrance to the vault. She stood back as Aidan stepped down into the stairwell, Sydney hanging back and waiting for Sam to follow. Peter offered the little girl his hand and walked side by side with her, Sydney coming up the rear.

The group of them descended the stairs and when they encountered the gate to the second set of stairs, Aidan easily pushed it open and carried on downwards. Peter hauled Sam up off her feet and settled her against his hip, the girl fisting the collar of his jacket in her hands as she held on to him.

It wasn't until they were in the core part of the vault that anyone slowed down, Aidan coming to a stop to look around, taking in the sight of everything within the walls of the Hale vault.

"Impressive." Aidan remarked in a low tone.

"Could be a little more homey but it'll do for now." Sydney offered up, forcing a smile onto her face. "You good down here?"

Sam's eyes widened at the sight of the collection of relics that were kept inside the vault. She loosened her grip on Peter's jacket and he gingerly set her on the floor, keeping a hand on her shoulder so that she didn't just wander off. There'd be plenty of time for exploration once him and Sydney were outside and Aidan was locked inside with the two girls.

"When are you coming back?" Sam quipped, but Sydney could tell that she wasn't really all that concerned. There was way too much to look at down here for her, enough stuff to keep the girl distracted while Sydney and Peter took off in an attempt to save Beacon Hills from Gerard Argent and the Anuke-ite.

"Once we save the world." Sydney answered with a confident smirk. "You promise to behave for Aidan?"

"Of course." Sam nodded her head furiously. "I'll help him look after Bruin."

Aidan lowered himself down to sit on top of a sturdy looking box and Sam moved over to stand next to him. Sydney freed the bag from her shoulder and lowered it to the ground near Aidan before offering Bruin to her beta. Aidan took the baby carefully and clutched her against his chest, silently praying that both Peter and Sydney made it back in one piece, and quickly.

He didn't know how much longer it would be until he felt more pain coursing through his body and he feared that it would happen too soon. What would come of the girls if he wound up severely weakened from pain that he had no control over?

"Call if you need anything." Sydney instructed.

"Yeah." Aidan nodded his head. "You two be careful."

"We'll try." Sydney smiled at him and leaned down, Sam coming over to her so that her alpha could give her a hug. Once Sam was satisfied with her goodbye, she moved over to Peter, who easily gave in to the girl's request and embraced her as well. He clearly had a soft spot for Sam, not that anyone seemed to mind.

Sydney wandered over to Aidan and ran her hand over Bruin's head, closing the distance between her and her baby before pressing a kiss against her forehead. Peter followed Sydney's lead and repeated the action before grasping Sydney's hand in his, intertwining his fingers with her.

"Do not come out of this vault." Peter narrowed his eyes in on Aidan. "We'll be back for you, hopefully sooner rather than later."

Aidan nodded his understanding and watched as his alpha moved back out the way they had come, Peter right by her side, still holding her hand. They walked up the stairs, Aidan and the girls disappearing from their sight, and once they were back outside, Peter let go of her hand and closed the vault, sealing them inside and hiding them away from the dangers lurking in Beacon Hills. No one was going to get in, not a soul was going to lay a finger on his girls.

"Where too first? Shall we take a look inside this fine educational establishment; try to pick up Ethan's scent?" Peter posed.

"Yeah, but I don't think we're going to find him here."

"Where do you think he is then? Surely he didn't just walk away-"

"I think he's in trouble, hell, I think we're all in trouble."


	33. Chapter 33

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 33** **:**

Running a nervous hand through her luscious brown locks, Sydney paused outside the front doors of the high school. She stopped in her tracks and planted her hands on her hips, staring at the outer brick wall, wondering what they were really going to find inside. This was where Ethan had informed her he was going but what if he hadn't actually made it? What if he had been harmed before arriving at the school?

Surely he could've made it out of the school in one piece if he _had_ made it, there were way too many people around for any of the hunters to do anything to him, but what if…god there were so many what ifs.

What if they were ready for Ethan and Jackson, what if they weren't as amateur-ish as her and the pack believed? Beacon Hills was starting to feel like a giant clusterfuck of problems, problems Sydney would've preferred not to have to deal with, especially when her pack wasn't completely whole.

"In case I haven't made it clear before, I _hate_ Gerard Argent." Sydney remarked, her voice low and sounding almost like a growl. "His fucking family, minus Chris, are nut jobs who are hell bent on dominating the world."

"That's a rather accurate statement." Peter nodded and meandered over to stand in front of her. He could tell she was starting to freak out, what if this was a trap for them too? What if they were walking into an ambush?

The school itself seemed quiet, too quiet, but that didn't mean anything per say, right? Surely Peter and Sydney could handle checking the place out; he was a strong werewolf and she was one of the fiercest alphas he knew.

"If I ever lay my eyes on him, I'm going to claw his eyes out." Sydney grumbled, dropping one hand away from her hip and reaching out for Peter. "Same goes for Kate."

"That's it?" Peter questioned, egging her on, knowing that there was so much more she would do to Gerard if she ever ran into him again.

"That's just the start." She growled, and before she knew what was happening, Peter grabbed her hand and tugged her forward.

She stumbled towards him but he managed to catch her, hugging her tight against him. His hand came up and brushed her hair behind her ear, then he leaned in closer, eliminating the distance between them and pressing his lips against hers. Feeling her body melt against his, he fought off the urge to smile, god he loved how her body responded to him, and maybe this was exactly what she needed at this particular moment.

Sydney was no doubt on edge, she was on high alert and he figured that a little bit of reassurance would only do her good. Reluctantly he pulled his lips away from hers and she let out a soft sigh, dropping her forehead down to rest against his shoulder.

"I won't stop you from ripping Gerard apart." Peter stated, her fingers drumming against his jacket.

"That's good." She murmured.

"Come on, let's get on with this."

Sydney didn't move a muscle, she didn't want to peel away from him just yet and Peter wasn't about to force her away from him. He loved how comfortable she felt in his arms and he wasn't going to forfeit the opportunity to hold her, even if there were much larger threats out there. Who was to say the hunters weren't hiding out nearby?

Then again, if they were, they already would've made their move, at least that was what was running through Peter's mind.

"I just wish…" she paused and turned her head sideways, peering up at him through her lashes, "this would be so much easier if the pack wasn't all over the place."

"I agree, but those aren't the cards we were dealt." Peter countered.

She let out a growl and pushed herself away from him, throwing her hands into the air in frustration. What the hell was she supposed to do, this wasn't what she really wanted. Her family was locked away in a vault for their own protection and who knew how long that would last?

Aidan was there with them but he had been experience weird phantom pains before they had even made it inside. What the hell was going on and where the hell had Ethan disappeared to?

"We should've stacked the deck." She whispered.

Peter shook his head at her in amusement and fought off the urge to smirk. She had a good point but it wasn't like they could have anticipated this, of all things. Sure Gerard Argent would always be some sort of a threat, it wasn't like Ethan had been attacked more than once in London. Someone, somewhere, was looking to eliminate the entire population of supernaturals, and it wasn't just Beacon Hills' problem anymore.

This was a huge deal, there was no way that just one pack of werewolves could handle the situation, yet that's precisely what seemed to be happening. Scott was already involving himself in the fight and sure Sydney was ready to join the war, but her pack was dwindled. Charlie and Isaac were in Colorado, Aidan was sealed away in the vault with the girls and Derek…well no one really knew where he was, or if he was even alive at this point.

Pulling out her cell phone, Sydney dialed Ethan's number again, hoping this time he'd answer and have a reasonable explanation for not picking up before. She listened to it ring, and ring, and ring but yet again, he didn't answer the phone. The situation hadn't changed, he was still missing in action, so what exactly was the plan for after they checked out the school.

If they couldn't catch his scent, then what would they do, where would they look for him? Even worse though, what if they _did_ catch Ethan's scent, would they follow it blindly until they managed to find him; dead or alive?

Holding the phone in her hand, Sydney stared at it, praying that Ethan would call her back but when the device began vibrating in her hand, it wasn't Ethan's name on the screen, no, it was Chris'. Huh, okay, well that was a pleasant surprise, maybe he had some sort of information on Gerard for her, maybe he had some good news.

She hit the answer button and pressed the phone against her ear, "hello?"

"I'm tracking Derek." Chris answered simply and Sydney scrunched up her nose at the man's words. Derek, he was…Chris Argent was tracking Derek, but why? "I'm currently in Brazil-"

"What?" Sydney cut him off, her voice loud and obnoxious. "Derek's in Brazil?"

"He _was_." Chris replied. "I haven't caught up with him yet but I'm getting closer."

"Why are you in Brazil, no wait, better question, why is _Derek_ in Brazil?" Sydney's voice was nearing a frantic octave and Peter immediately set his hand on her shoulder, reminding her that he was right there with her. She seemed to calm down, even if it was just the tiniest bit, but it was enough and she shook her head, focusing on what Chris was saying to her.

Derek was in Brazil, that's where he had run off to, but why, why was he in South America? And was he okay?

"There was a pack there, they were slaughtered, Derek was looking for something."

"Is he okay? Please tell me you know that much?" Sydney begged and she heard Chris let out a sigh on the other end of the phone. If something bad happened to Derek, she didn't know what she would do, he was her best friend, he was part of her pack, he couldn't be hurt, he couldn't be dead.

"As far as I know he's still alive, but that's it." Chris answered. "I'm still on his trail."

"Okay, good, yeah, that's good. Hey, when you find him, can you tell him to call me?" She demanded, Peter fighting back the chuckle that was threatening to erupt; she sounded much more like a mother than she ever had before. It was clear that she was worried about everyone, having her pack all over the place wasn't sitting well with her, but hopefully she could keep it together a little longer. Peter didn't need to add dealing with a panic attack courtesy of Sydney to his list.

"What about Isaac?" Chris pressed and Sydney furrowed her eyebrows together. Isaac, right, yes Isaac, Chris had been the kid's impromptu adult figure for a while, it was natural for him to wonder about him, right?

"He's with Charlie and her dad, they sort of know what's going on, Steve's prepared, well, as much as he can be considering we're not entirely sure how severe this situation is."

"I think we can all agree that it's as severe as it's ever going to get." Chris pointed out. "But I appreciate you taking care of Isaac."

"I know." Sydney breathed the words out. "I appreciate you tracking down Derek."

"I'll let you know if I find anything more." Chris stated.

"Same. Talk to you later."

"Bye Sydney."

She held the phone against her ear for a few seconds even after he had hung up. What the hell was happening, why was Chris tracking down Derek, not that she was going to complain. Chris was a trained hunter and if anyone could find Derek, it was him, plus she trusted Chris enough to know that he wasn't going to harm Derek. They were allies, unexpectedly so.

"Let's get going." Peter offered up and motioned towards the school with his hand. "I bet we'll find Ethan's scent, track it and find him perfectly unharmed."

She scoffed at him and lowered the phone, tucking it into her pocket. Once it was securely in the front of her jacket, she lurched forward and grabbed Peter's hand, relishing in the comfort his mere presence provided to her. At the very least they were doing this together, she wasn't fighting anything alone like she had been since he had gotten himself locked away in Eichen House. They were a team, a good team, and that helped Sydney relax slightly.

They walked, hand in hand, side by side, towards the main entrance of the school, making note that there were very few people inside. Sure it was after hours but it was still eerie, odd to the point that Sydney felt uncomfortable being there. She hated when things weren't how they were supposed to be but it didn't matter, it had to be done.

Peter pulled the door open for them and ushered her inside, not letting go of her hand. He watched in awe as Sydney began sniffing the air, trying to lock on to Ethan's scent. Peter inhaled deeply but didn't smell anything out of the ordinary, yet Sydney continued to move, wandering further and further into the school.

Had she managed to catch wind of something he didn't? It was very possible, she had spent way more time with Ethan than he ever had, which meant that she knew his scent by heart, it made sense that she would be able to pick it out over the chaos of high school stenches lingering in the halls.

"It's faint." She whispered, fearful that if she spoke too loudly, she'd draw unwanted attention to herself. Something about the school was off, and the whole thing felt eerie, uncomfortable even, but Ethan _had_ been here, so where had he gone?

Peter followed her as she hugged the walls, moving through the school with ease. She really had caught his scent, but Peter still hadn't managed to lock on to it, not until they reached a fork in the road; the end of the hall. It was either right or left and Peter, who took in another deep whiff of the air, knew exactly where to go, but Sydney beat him too it. She turned right and picked up her pace, Peter matching her new found speed as she jogged through the vacant hallways.

Yes, yes Ethan had been here, and he had gone this way, but where, _where_ , was he now? And why wasn't he answering his phone.

Sydney let go of his hand and broke out into a full blown run, heading for an exit at the end of the hallway. She burst through the doors and came to a dead stop, looking around at a smaller parking lot than the one they had been in. It was almost secluded, like a private lot, but this is precisely where his scent disappeared.

What had happened to him and Jackson?

"It just…it just stops. The trail just _stops_." She whimpered. "Peter…Peter where is he?"

Peter slowly approached her from behind and set his hand on her shoulder, drawing her in against his side. She leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his middle and growling in defeat.

"Let's go find Malia."

"Why?" Sydney retorted but shook her head. Okay, just because they didn't _find_ Ethan didn't mean he was dead. If he was, surely she would've felt something. "Yeah, okay, let's go find Malia."

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

The first stop was Malia's house but the two of them didn't even need to go inside to know that she wasn't there. There wasn't a heartbeat to be heard or a presence to be smelled, no, this place was empty. She hadn't been at the school when they were there, no trace of a fresh scent of hers was found when they were there, so what was the next stop?

When Peter had led her to Scott's house, she shot him a look of confusion. Okay, so maybe it sort of made sense, Malia was part of Scott's pack, but why would they be at his house when something strange was going on out in the town? Maybe they were planning something, maybe they were getting things together, maybe they-

"I hear a heartbeat." Sydney announced in a loud whisper. "Peter…it's just one though."

Peter shot her a look of understanding but didn't use his words to respond. Yes there was someone inside but like she had said, it was just one person. If it was a hunter, if it was someone that posed a threat to them, surely they could handle it. The two of them could take on one person, even if that one person was Gerard Argent- they just had to play their cards right.

"Scott!"

Oh! Wait, yes, that was a familiar voice, the person inside wasn't really a threat to them, it was just Lydia, but wait…why was…why was Lydia looking for Scott, why didn't _she_ know where he was?

Something weird was going on here, the one person that was inside Scott's house was Lydia Martin, who was _looking_ for Scott. They were also looking for Scott, so where was the true alpha and was he with Malia somewhere?

Peter took off in a brisk walk and rushed for the house, slipping in the side door, which was unlocked, dragging Sydney with him the whole way. She hung back once they were inside the house though and let Peter take the lead, not entirely sure what his plan for Lydia was. Surely he wasn't going to hurt her, but then again, Peter, even after all the time she had spent with him, was still unpredictable. Plus she didn't want to scare poor Lydia- okay that wasn't entirely true, scaring Lydia sounded like fun, but now wasn't the time for fun. They were here on business.

"Scott?" Lydia called out again and Peter surged forward, rounding the corner, Sydney moving along behind him but giving him space. He came to stand behind Lydia, who was facing away from him and looked at her back, Sydney peering around the corner and laying her eyes on the banshee as well.

"Hello, Lydia." Peter drawled scaring the poor girl and causing her to whip around to face him.

"Oh, my-" Lydia gasped, apparently shocked by Peter's presence. Sydney wasn't going to lie to herself, if she was in Lydia's position, she would've been a little scared too. "What are you doing here?"

Peter planted his hands on his hips and stood his ground, staring at the poor teenage girl that he had scared half to death. Sydney straightened up, raised her hands into the air in surrender and closed the distance between her and Peter, coming to stand next to him but in a much less intimidating stance.

"Hi." Sydney gave her a wave and slowly lowered her hands so that her arms dangled at her side in a non-threatening way.

"What are you _two_ doing here?" Lydia pressed, changing up her question ever so slightly.

"Looking for Malia. What are you doing here?" Peter countered, the banshee taking a few steps towards them. Sydney could hear the poor girl's heartbeat slowing down as she realized Peter and her weren't exactly here to hurt her. Yes he had scared her but she seemed to understand that for the time being, they were all on the same side.

"Looking for Scott, _obviously_." Lydia answered, rolling her eyes at Peter's question. What the hell had Peter been expecting? A, they were in Scott's house and b¸ they had heard her calling out for Scott. It made sense, to a point, but _why_ was Lydia looking for Scott, this was the question that Sydney wanted to know the answer too.

Why was everyone having such a hard time finding other people?

"Why?" Peter asked, yes, yes why was Lydia looking for Scott?

"Why are you looking for Malia?" Lydia pushed back, not giving in to Peter's simple question.

He opened his mouth to respond but couldn't find the words right away, so he pressed his lips together and looked sideways, trying to come up with an answer that would sate Lydia.

"Parental concern." Peter forced the words out quickly, too quickly.

"We're worried." Sydney added and heard the low, barely audible growl from Peter as she spoke up, joining the conversation. "We can't find her and we want to know that she's okay."

"Hmm." Lydia hummed, taking her words into consideration.

"Why didn't you just call Scott?" Peter questioned, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Why didn't you call Malia?" Lydia shot back.

"Oh my god, we did, she's not answering." Sydney supplied. " _No_ one is answering."

A blanket of silence fell over them and she crossed her arms over her chest. Watching Peter and Lydia was borderline pathetic, but she understood why. Lydia didn't trust Peter, and she didn't fault her for that, but at the same time, Peter didn't seem to be one hundred per cent comfortable with Lydia either.

Why? What was he afraid of, what was Lydia able to do that had the ability to make him scared?

"This- we're not- this is- we're not getting very far with this conversation." Peter stumbled over his words but eventually managed to get a sentence out without faltering.

"I can't reach him." Lydia finally gave in and answered the question that had been asked of her. Okay, this was good- well no, no it wasn't good, if Lydia couldn't reach Scott and they couldn't reach Malia, how were they supposed to know that the two missing teenagers were okay?

"Well, like Syd said, we can't reach her either, or anyone for that matter."

"Jesus." Sydney mumbled and rolled her eyes. She was used to spending time with children, she had a baby of her own and Sam to look after, and yet somehow this was more immature of an interaction than she had ever seen.

"There are reports that several cell phone towers in the area are down." Peter announced, Sydney's eyes widening at his newfound revelation. What the hell? Where had he gotten this information and why was this just coming to light now?

"What?" Sydney growled, winding her arm back and slugging Peter in the shoulder, throwing him off balance but not to the point where he stumbled, no, he remained standing in the same position, but his hand came up and rubbed the spot where her fist had impacted his flesh. "Why didn't you say something?"

"I didn't _want_ you to worry." Peter offered up with a shrug. She _was_ worried though and the fact that cell phone towers were down wouldn't have made her worrying any worse, it's not like she wasn't already on edge.

"Okay, well that's definitely cause for concern." Lydia added.

"Fuck this." Sydney groaned and turned her back to Lydia, peering around the house. "This whole thing is fucked up."

"It's more than that." Peter spoke up, his voice clam and firm.

"Munroe and Gerard." Lydia said the names with such conviction that Sydney turned back around to face the banshee. She knew about Gerard, hell everyone who was a supernatural creature knew about Gerard, but the name Munroe was new to her.

Who was this Munroe and what exactly were they playing at, why were they on Gerard's side? What was the end game here? What was the plan once all the supernatural creatures in the world were wiped out, _if_ they managed to even get close to successfully clearing them all out?

"They're cutting us off from the outside." Peter said.

"And from each other." Lydia tossed out.

"Which likely means that they've already started amassing troops on their side." Peter countered.

"Then we better find ours." Lydia remarked.

"Fuck!" Sydney yelled and threw her head back, but Peter paid no attention to her dramatics, instead, he let Lydia lead him out of the house, Sydney rushing to keep up even as she rolled her eyes at the entire interaction with Lydia.

Things were getting worse, this Munroe, who was working with Gerard, was cutting them off from the world, from each other, what did that mean for her? Would she not be able to get a hold of Aidan in the vault? Would her phone calls to Ethan never go through?

Maybe this was a good thing though, maybe her calls to Ethan just weren't getting through. Okay so that still didn't explain why his scent just came to a dead stop, but it was better than thinking the worst right? There was hope for Ethan, hope that he was alive and not as hurt as Aidan's phantom pain would suggest.

"Where are we going?" Sydney asked in a whine.

"To Deaton's." Lydia answered simply and Sydney didn't say another word as she followed the two of them, hoping that they'd find something, _anything_ , sooner rather than later.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

She didn't need to go inside the vet's office to know that there was no one here. There were no heartbeats inside, no sounds at all, in fact, it was quieter here than in the school, but that didn't stop Lydia from marching inside, letting them follow her into the back room. She tucked her hands into the pockets on her jacket and sucked in a whiff, letting Deaton's faint scent fill her nostrils.

Where had he gone?

At least the odour of the man was so vague that she figured he had made it out of Beacon Hills before anything bad had happened to him, that was a plus. There was no smell of blood, no sign of a struggle, so maybe Deaton was okay, but what was his plan for all this? What was he up to?

Peter hauled his one leg up and leaned against the metal table in the middle of the room while Lydia wandered around, looking for any sign of life. Sydney tipped her head back and looked up at the ceiling, trying to figure out the next place they'd look for Scott. Where _was_ everyone, why was this so hard?

Tracking people was her specialty but she was having such a hard time locating anyone that they needed. Scott was missing, Malia was missing, Ethan and Jackson hadn't been heard from since they had landed in America.

What were they supposed to do?

"They haven't been here." Peter stated.

"In a long time." Sydney added. "No one's been here in days."

"Maybe we should go to the school." Lydia suggested but Sydney knew they weren't going to find anyone there either. It had been a ghost town when her and Peter had been there.

"We were there before we found you at Scott's house. There's no one there. There's no one anywhere." Sydney explained. "Anyone who's someone is missing."

Lydia turned around from her place in the doorway and leveled Sydney with a look. It wasn't a glare, it wasn't meant to be intimidating, it was a look of sheer worry. She was concerned about her friends, not that Sydney could blame her, the more time they all spent looking for and failing to find the people in question, the more her panic meter began to rise.

Peter moved away from the table and wandered around to stand on the opposite side of it from Lydia. Sydney closed in on him and leaned against his side, forcing his arm around her shoulders and resting her head against his arm. Everything was so off, so weird, that she didn't know how to react, all she could do was remind herself that Peter was right there with her, and they weren't going to give up without one hell of a fight.

"Lydia, you never said _why_ you were looking for Scott." Peter pointed out, breaking the silence first. Sydney set her eyes on Lydia and watched her struggle with whatever it was she wanted to say. She clearly didn't want to just openly admit anything to Peter but what other choice did she have? It's not like either of them knew where Scott _was_.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Lydia pressed her palms on the surface of the table and leaned forward, staring hard at Peter.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Lydia quipped. No, no Sydney wasn't sure she wanted to know, but she was tired of _not_ knowing. Maybe Lydia could shed some light on the situation, perhaps she knew something they didn't.

"Do I _need_ to know?" Peter countered.

"Doesn't matter, please just tell us." Sydney pleaded.

"Last night, I woke up saying two words that might just be from a dream… or it might be something else." Lydia said, her eyes not breaking from Peter. Sydney was hanging on her every word and she desperately wanted to know what two words she had been saying.

"What two words?" Peter asked, apparently also wanting to know. It took everything in Sydney not to just scream at the strawberry blonde to 'spit it out', but she figured patience was a better way to go.

"'Where's Jackson?'." Lydia answered.

"No." Sydney gaped. "No way."

"That is disturbing on multiple levels" Peter piped up, leaning back momentarily before continuing to pry. "What else?"

Lydia rolled her shoulders back and pressed her lips together, clearly debating how much more she wanted to reveal to the two of them. Sydney merely held her breath, hoping that she had something good to say, but she knew that was unlikely.

Lydia was a banshee, she predicted death, which meant that unless she predicted Gerard's death, they were all doomed.

"Lydia!" Peter barked but quickly calmed himself. "Don't hold back on me, I never held back on you."

"Gross." Sydney sighed. "But was there more? Did you see anything? _Feel_ anything?"

"I saw you two…turned to stone. I was in a storage container, it was steel, there was a blue wall," Lydia hesitated and sucked in a deep breath, "I saw everyone, even Derek and Ethan; all of you turned to stone."

"Stone?" Sydney's eyes widened at the girl's statement. "As in statues?"

"Yes, like you but as stone, frozen in time."

"Do you ever see anything remotely optimistic?" Peter shot back.

"It's optimistic if you prevent it." Lydia stated matter-of-factly.

"Right yes, let's do that, let's prevent us all from turning to stone." Sydney yelped and straightened up next to Peter. Prevention was the best thing right now, if they knew what the outcome was, surely they could do something to stop it.

They were perfectly capable of ending things before they got bad, they just needed an advantage, they needed a way to stay ahead of the game. Sydney ran her hands through her hair and then set her hand on the back of Peter's neck gently, giving him a squeeze.

He sucked in a breath and let it out, trying to remain calm while talking to Lydia. She was doing her best to help them, she knew it, but it was still frustrating. How were they all going to be turned to stone and more importantly, _how_ were they going to stop that from happening?

"Storage container?" Peter mumbled the words, shaking his head as something seemed to formulate in his head. "Wait, do you mean shipping container?"

"Yeah, I was surrounded by them." Lydia replied.

"I think I know where that is." Peter offered, a slight bit of skepticism in his tone. Oh good, Peter knew where the shipping container was, the very place where Lydia had seen them all turned to stone. Why would they want to go there, why would they want to go right to the place where Lydia _knew_ bad things happened?

What other choice did they have though?

"Then you know how to find Scott." Lydia quipped and Sydney threw her hands up in defeat. For Christ's sake, they were really going to do this, they were really going to go to the place where Lydia had seen them all turned to stone.

"You two are absolutely insane." Sydney muttered but followed Peter as he moved away from the table. Lydia was already on her way back out of the building, leaving Peter and her in the back room alone. She grabbed his hand and pulled on his arm, keeping him right there with her. When he turned to face her, she brought out her alpha red eyes, Peter quickly matching her action by countering with his icy blues.

"We got this." Peter murmured, trying to reassure his alpha. Sydney took her bottom lip in between her teeth and prayed that Peter was right.

She didn't know what would happen if he was wrong, and she didn't want to find out.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

 _ **Thank you 19irene96 for the review! I'm trying to get this story out quickly, so my plan is a chapter a day.**_

 _ **Thoughts?**_


	34. Chapter 34

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 34** **:**

"God damn rain." Sydney muttered as she stepped out of the car.

They were within sight of storage containers, probably hundreds of them, which had to mean they were in the right place, but that didn't mean Sydney felt any better about it, no, in fact, she hated being here, she hated not being tucked away inside her house with her family.

To put it simply: this sucked.

"We have to find Scott." Lydia reiterated why they were here, but Sydney knew precisely who they were looking for. She hadn't forgotten in the short car ride, no, not at all. "And we have to find him quick."

"Well duh." Sydney shot back and fell in step next to Peter, who was letting Lydia lead the way. She had been the one to see this place in her vision, she was the only one who knew what exactly they were looking for.

"Maybe your focus would be better suited on trying to catch a scent." Peter remarked and she cocked her head at his words. Who the hell did he think he was, if she wanted to be bitter and petty towards Lydia, he had no right to stand in her way.

Okay, so maybe there was a bigger picture for her to focus on, that didn't mean she liked being led into the great unknown by a banshee, who wasn't always reliable.

Sydney did as she was told, though not without another glare in Peter's direction, but it wasn't Scott she picked up on, no, it was…wait, unless Scott was here with a bunch of people-

"Jesus Christ, there's like twenty heartbeats." Sydney growled, her body tensing at the sound. Not only were there multiple heartbeats but she could hear the familiar rumblings of engines. "Shit fuck!"

"They're here." Peter stated, more for Lydia's benefit than anything. The strawberry blonde paused in her walking but only for a split second before she broke out into a full on jog. The rain pelted them all but Sydney wasn't deterred, no, there was a fight afoot and she wasn't going to back down.

"Munroe, this is Munroe." Lydia called out to them. "She's not going to stop until we're all dead."

"Wait, what?" Sydney barked in response and reached out, latching her hand onto Peter's wrist so that they wouldn't get separated. "What did I ever do to this 'Munroe' to warrant a death sentence?"

"Nothing, and it doesn't matter." Lydia exclaimed. "She wants blood, supernatural blood."

Sucking in an anxious breath, Sydney continued to run, her and Peter following Lydia until she locked onto Scott's scent, but not just Scott, he was with another person, or maybe two other people. With all the extra scents of the hunters lingering in her nostrils, she was finding it hard to pinpoint exactly who belonged to what smell.

It wasn't until she spotted movement that she knew Lydia was leading them in the right direction. When her eyes locked onto a figure, she let out a soft sigh and hoped that the hunters wouldn't find them so quickly, but the rumbling of the engines prodding her ears suggested otherwise.

Sydney took note that there were three figures and she could make them all out, she could easily smell Scott and Malia but the third one intrigued her. While she knew Deucalion was here in Beacon Hills, she hadn't known _why_ , though it seemed the answer was right in front of her: he was here for Scott McCall.

"Scott! Scott! Scott!" Lydia's voice sounded out over the pouring rain. Okay, so Sydney would give her that much, at least it was easy to hear the girl, must be all the screaming she did. Seriously though, the more time she spent with Lydia, the more she appreciated her own pack.

The rain continued to hit them hard though, Sydney's jacket soaked through, the cool drops chilling her to the bone. She fought off the urge to shiver and carried on running, keeping up with Peter and Lydia as they closed in on the trio tucked away under a roof, where they remained dry. How lucky they were.

Lydia continued to bolt and came to a stop directly in front of Scott, her eyes laced with pure panic and her voice nothing short of frantic, "none of us are going to survive this."

"None?" Sydney mumbled, shooting a look towards Peter as she too came to a stop just under the ledge of the roof, Peter right next to her. She made a move to grab his hand and as soon as she made contact, his fingers intertwined with hers, reminding her that he was right there with him.

"What- why? What are you guys doing here?" Scott countered, his voice equally as frantic as Lydia's. Jesus Christ, did Scott know how bad things were in Beacon Hills, did he know about the hunters and the actual threat level that they posed? This was no joke, this wasn't just a single hunter, this was the end of the line.

There was no easy way to get out of _this_.

"They're coming, Munroe and more and they have heavy firepower." Peter exclaimed. My god, was he freaking out too, was Peter Hale, _the_ Peter Hale, really scared of what was about to come for them?

Sydney sucked in a breath and held it but just as she was about to let it out, gunshots erupted from behind Deucalion. She tucked herself against Peter's side and forced herself to remain calm. She could get shot, so long as it wasn't anything major, she could take a hit or two, not that she really wanted to.

Good god, what the hell was going on and why was this happening? It wasn't like _she_ had done anything to these people, she had left them alone, she hadn't even killed Kate Argent like she would've liked. Why, _why_ , was this happening to her?

A few more gunshots sounded out in the quiet night atmosphere and Sydney waited for it to stop, except when it did, she wasn't entirely sure she was glad. No, no as soon as silence had fallen over them once again, she peered at Peter, who nodded that he was okay, before she looked over to Deucalion. She could smell it before she saw it, his blood, leaking out of the multiple wounds to his core.

Fucking hell! This was insane!

They were being shot at and there was no good reason for it! No one, except maybe Peter, deserved to be hunted (at least in the mind of a hunter).

"What the hell!" Sydney shrieked and made a move to go to Deucalion, who had fallen forward to the ground with a thump, his face pressing against the hardened concrete beneath his limp form. "Oh my god! Oh my _god_!"

There was no response, no one had a chance to reply, instead, the hunters behind Deucalion gave pause for a split second longer before breaking out into a whole new slew of gunfire.

Bullets flew at them and the sound was like nothing she had ever heard, the sheer decibel of it pounding in her head. Were they going to be able to fight this? Was there something they could still do to stop the hunters? Or were they all doomed?

Like hell Sydney was going to curl up and let them win, but it wasn't like they had heavy fire power to counter the hunters, no, all they had were claws and teeth and…well…that was about it. Claws and teeth, and while Sydney had no doubt that she could rip the hunters apart with just that, she knew that she'd never get close enough seeing as they had semi-automatic weapons firing in their direction.

Peter's arm wrapped around her lower back and he forced her behind him before turning his back to the hunters and scurrying out of the way. She felt a hard column nearby and rushed to get behind it, hoping that the concrete would stop enough bullets to give them a chance to survive this insanity.

She felt Peter hug her tight against his chest, tucking her head under his chin, and Sydney felt her body tensing at the continuing sound of bullets spraying in their direction. This was crazy! Where had all these hunters even come from? And where had they learned to shoot?

"Please, stop!" Sydney pleaded out loud and brought her hands up, fisting Peter's jacket in her hold. She turned her head and pressed her ear against him, directly over his heart, as she tuned in to the erratic beating. Peter was actually scared, he was panicked, which meant that it was time for Sydney to accept the facts: they weren't going to win.

But did that mean they were going to stop fighting?

Okay, maybe they'd have to keep themselves hidden until the gunfire lessened, but that didn't mean they were going to surrender and give up, right?

"You should've stayed in the vault!" Peter called out to her and she peeled her ear away from his chest, tipping her head back just enough to meet his eye. She narrowed her gaze in on him and leveled him with a glare. "At least that way Bruin would have one parent left."

"No." She growled and brought out her claws, the tips biting into his jacket but not breaking through. "No, you and I, we do this together, we _fight_ together."

Peter didn't respond to her, instead, he tightened his grip on his alpha and pushed their bodies out of the way, she let him guide her and when the coast was clear, he dove across the opening and lowered himself down to the ground, his body behind a steel barrel and Sydney still in his hold. She remained curled against him, her feet planted on the ground and her butt against the cool concrete floor, but it didn't matter, they were alive, for right now, and they were hidden away behind something they could use as a shield. All they had to do now was wait for the gunfire to stop, _if_ it ever did stop.

She could hear the footsteps of the hunters faintly over the bullets and she knew they were getting closer, but surely they could get away right? There were more places for them to hide, they just had to hold them off until they ran out of ammo, and at the rate they were firing, Sydney hoped it would be soon.

"Malia!" She heard Scott call out and Sydney dared to chance a look around her, taking in the sight of Scott huddled behind a column while the girl in question was crouching down behind what looked to be a dumpster.

"Peter." Sydney whimpered and pressed herself forward against the collar of his jacket. She wanted this to be a bad dream, a nightmare, she wanted to wake up and have everything be back to normal; no hunters after them, no threats to their livelihood, she just wanted calm, was that so much to ask?

Bullets bit into the columns sending concrete flying everywhere, the smell of gun powder was ripe in the air and Sydney's heart was pounding so hard against her chest that she feared it would crack her sternum. This wasn't what she had in mind for the night, and now she wasn't sure she was going to survive to see morning.

"I got you." Peter's voice was calm, but she knew that he wasn't. He was trying to protect her, to keep her out of harm's way, but they were in this together. She burrowed her face into his chest and fought off the urge to cry as she reminded herself that Peter could survive anything.

He was way too hard to get rid of, and not for lack of trying on other people's parts.

Peter's grip on her tightened and Sydney leaned back in his hold, looking sideways, the same as he was. She spotted the rogue hunter, his gun lifted up and poised, ready to let bullets spray right in Scott's direction…oh god, no, no this couldn't be happening!

Scott had to make it through, he had to survive this, it would take more than a hunter to take him out, right? _Right_?

Without any sort of warning, the hunter was thrown forward as his body collided with the front of Stiles' jeep- wait, Stiles' jeep? Who was driving it? Who was-

She could faintly smell a familiar scent and when she made a move to hop up, Peter gripped her harder and held her against his chest. But she could smell Derek, Derek was here, and so was Stiles!

Yes! This was what they needed, they just needed back up, more people to fight on their side! This was how they'd win!

"You didn't think you were doing this without me, did you?" Stiles hollered out in Scott's direction and Sydney's lips curled upwards into a grin. Stiles would know what to do, he would come up with a plan to save them all, if he didn't already have one of course.

"Without us?" Derek threw out and moved to take a stance next to Stiles' jeep.

This was perfect!

Sydney watched in awe as Derek forced his steely blue irises out, as well as his razor sharp canines, and then let out a roar that would rival that of a real wolf. He took off in the direction of the hunters, leaping high up into the air. She felt her body relaxing at the sight and when Derek landed, taking out two hunters as he did so, she slowly made her way to her feet, Peter moving right along with her.

Moving with ease, Derek began taking out the hunters one by one, the gunfire slowing down with each fallen hunter. He came at them from the side, taking them down effortlessly and Sydney felt her own muscles tensing, her body almost itching to join the fight. She pressed herself against Peter before peeling away from him, forcing her red eyes to come to surface.

This was what she was made for, she had trained forever for a real fight and here she was, smack dab in the middle of it. This was all she had wanted for a long, long time.

Malia was quick to join Derek in taking out hunters and Sydney's lips pulled into a smirk. Peter tucked her under his arm and launched himself forward, heading right into the middle of the melee, taking a hunter and forcing him backwards until his back collided with the concrete column not far away. She made a move to follow his lead but felt a presence behind her.

She whipped around and came face to face with a hunter of her own, a hand gun gripped tightly in his hand, but Sydney was too quick. She brought her foot up, kicking the gun away before sending a mean right hook in his direction, forcing him backwards as he struggled to remain on his feet. She followed it up with a punch from her left hand and the hunter crumpled to the ground just in time for Peter to come up next to her.

He brought out his own sharp canine teeth and nudged her with his elbow as he charged forward, Sydney breaking out into a run after him, a bark of laughter escaping her as she moved.

They were a perfect team and she'd never, ever deny it. They worked so fluidly together, Peter hitting a hunter in her direction and Sydney knocking them out cold, then she'd send one his way, Peter finishing them off just in time for the process to repeat itself. She was almost having fun fighting the mass of hunters that had attacked them and if it hadn't been for the threat of the guns that still lingered in the air, she would've let herself actually relax and enjoy the fight.

One by one the hunters fell and with each one that crumpled to the ground, another hunter would retreat. Before she knew it, she had run out of people to hit and Peter had stopped fighting, making a move to grab her arm. She relaxed in his grip and let him slip an arm around her waist, drawing her even closer as they watched the SUVs that the hunters had arrived in roll away, tires screeching in their wake.

"Take that!" Sydney cackled and lifted her hand up, resting it against Peter's chest. "Shit I haven't been in a real fight in a long damn time."

"And hopefully this will be the last for an even longer time to come." Peter remarked, ushering her towards the small group of people that had accumulated back a little further, near the fallen demon wolf.

Sydney's body tensed at the sight and immediately the gravity of the situation hit her. There _were_ casualties on their side, and while it may have only been one, she knew it was a huge blow. Hurting a demon wolf like Deucalion was no easy feat, yet the hunters had done it with almost no effort.

"Oh god." Sydney broke away from Peter and rushed forward, dropping to her knees next to Deucalion's limp form. His breathing was ragged and barely there, his heartbeat as faint as she had ever heard.

"Can't believe you didn't tell me about any of this. Not a word, not a single word." Stiles' voice pierced her skull but she didn't dare look in his direction.

"We had reasons, really good reasons." Lydia countered.

She focused her attention on the wounded wolf in front of her, Scott dropping down next to her. Each one of them took a hand and attempted to draw out the man's pain but there was nothing there. Deucalion wasn't in any pain? But, but he was shot, he was wounded, surely he was hurting, yet there was nothing for her to draw out, no matter how hard she tried.

"No." Sydney whimpered and stared at Deucalion, taking in the sight of his paling face. "No please."

"Dear girl…Scott listen…Gerard," the demon wolf stammered, struggling to get his words out through baited breaths, "what he f-f-fears most: h-h-he can't beat you and he… knows it."

Deucalion turned his attention towards Scott, even going as far as to set his weakening hand on top of the true alpha's. A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips but she knew that he was fighting as hard as he could, even though it was painfully obvious that it was over. God why was this happening? Why did Deucalion need to…need to…no, no he couldn't die, this wasn't how he was supposed to go out, this wasn't how any of them were supposed to go out. Werewolves, for the most part as far as she was concerned, were peaceful, they minded their own business and only fought back when they were threatened, so why were hunters after them? Why were they being tracked down and killed without a reason?

Deucalion's hand slipped away from Scott's and his head lulled to the side, Sydney holding her breath and hoping that this was all still part of her nightmare. This couldn't be real!

It just wasn't fair.

"It's really started, hasn't it?" Malia spoke first, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. Sydney rose to her full height and backed up, Peter resting his palm on her shoulder and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"What's started?" Stiles quipped and she whipped her head sideways, catching sight of her favourite human being. Sydney launched herself at Stiles and hugged him with all of her strength, only letting go when he let out a gasp, clearly struggling to breath.

"It's an all-out war." Scott offered up, and followed Sydney's lead, this time though, he moved towards Derek and took him into a warm, brotherly embrace. Derek easily reciprocated the gesture and Sydney moved back towards Peter, reaching her own hand out and running it down Derek's back.

"You came back." She remarked. "I'm glad you came back."

"As much as I enjoy the impromptu family reunion, what are you doing here?" Peter cut in, reminding them all of the bigger picture. Bad things were happening in Beacon Hills, they were all in danger. Scott took a few steps away from Derek and glanced back at the fallen man a few feet away.

"I found a pack slaughtered in Brazil. There were two words written in blood on a wall: Beacon Hills." Derek explained, but he only brought more questions to the surface than actual answers.

"You came back for Beacon Hills?" Scott questioned, moving his attention from Deucalion to Derek.

"No, I came back for you." Derek supplied, then he shot a look in Sydney's direction. He didn't need to say anything more but she knew that he was back for her too, back for his family, Bruin, Sam, even the twins. He was back for his pack, and she wasn't going to let him get away so easily this time.

If she had anything to say about it, he'd be sticking close by for a long time to come.

She opened her mouth to add her piece but an awful, static sound erupted from the jeep, the very jeep that had hit the hunter and given them the chance to win the fight.

"Blood and destruction, dreadful objects so familiar," Stiles took off in a jog towards the jeep and popped the door open as he climbed into the driver's seat, Scott following suit on the passenger side, "all pity choked with custom of fell deeds. Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge with Ate by his side come hot from hell shall in these confines with a monarch's voice."

Sydney leaned against the hood nearer the door as she listened to the old fart drone on and on. Gerard Argent needed to die, she had decided this, she was going to make sure it happened, and then she'd dance on his grave. He was evil, he was the reason they had been shot at, the reason they were being hunted, yes, Gerard Argent would come face to face with her and she'd make sure he didn't survive.

"This guy." Sydney scoffed with a roll of her eyes, Peter's hand resting on her lower back as he remained quiet, waiting for the man to stop talking. Derek had moved around to the other side of the jeep while Malia and Lydia remained near her and Peter, the banshee most likely sticking as close to Stiles as she possibly could without getting into the jeep with him.

"Do you know the rest, Scott? Do you know your Shakespeare?" Gerard asked, static cutting in every so often.

Scott lifted the radio up and looked to Derek, who gave the slightest nod of his head. Sydney rolled her eyes yet again, of course Derek would know Shakespeare, he definitely was a bit of an English nerd back in school, what with all his love of books and reading.

Her eyes were locked on Derek through the jeep and he spoke calmly into the radio, responding to Gerard's question.

"Cry, 'Havoc!' and let slip the dogs of war." Derek spoke evenly, an eerie calm in his voice.

"War, indeed." Gerard shot back. "Welcome back, Derek, you must all be feeling rather nostalgic. Are you pleased with the little family reunion I've gathered around you, Scott?"

"Yeah, well, why don't you come join us and I can thank you in person?" Scott managed to get out without sounding _too_ pissed off.

"Fucking old man, such a coward." Sydney muttered and stood up straight, planting her hands on her hips. What was his game? Surely he wasn't teasing them over the radio for shits and giggles.

"I even have a few visitors for you, from London, even someone like Jackson Whittemore couldn't resist coming back to Beacon Hills. Say hello, Jackson." Gerard baited.

Sydney's body went rigid and her muscles tensed as she heard the pained cries coming from the radio. So that was his game, this was what he was up to. He was the one responsible for Jackson and Ethan going missing, he was the reason she had no idea where her beta was.

"Do it again, old man. Come a little closer." Jackson's voice sounded harsh. "I'm going to shove that thing so far up your ass.-"

Sydney smacked the hood of the jeep with her palm and threw her hands up into the air in frustration. Gerard was going to _die_ , she just needed to find him and take him down.

"Lost none of his charm, has he? You can find him here with us at the Armory, Scott, in fact, I'm going to tell you where to find all of them." Gerard paused for a second and Sydney found herself wondering how many of the supernaturals Gerard really did have?

Who was missing?

Who wasn't with them?

Had he managed to get into the vault? Had he managed to get to her family, had Gerard taken Bruin, Sam and Aidan?

"Your Deputy Hellhound met some friends of his while responding to a call at Eichen House; your father was on his way back from San Francisco with the goal of entering the fight but he didn't get far; you might want to tell your mother to skip her shift at the hospital tonight, Liam and his friends are there now, optimistic of them, but woefully ill-advised." Gerard taunted. Good, okay good, he hadn't mentioned any of Sydney's pack, but that didn't make her feel any better. "This is how you wage war, Scott: a strategic positioning of your army against theirs, which is why you will come to me, you will try to save as many as you can and you might even save a few _but_ your limited resources will be spread thin. Ultimately you will fail. The dogs of war, Scott, they're coming for you…"

An annoying siren sound erupted from the radio, followed up by static once again. She glared at the radio in Scott's hold and watched as the true alpha squeezed it in his hand to the point of it almost breaking.

"Motherfucker!" Sydney growled and when Peter's hand latched onto her wrist, he gave a gentle tug and drew her in against his chest. "He can't…he can't _do_ this."

"He can, and he did." Stiles replied. "We have to split up."

"You heard Gerard." Scott argued. "We have to come up with a plan before we spread out."

"You mean more specific than 'kill Gerard'?" Sydney stated. "Because I will, if I lay my eyes on that bastard, I'll rip him apart, one piece at a time until he begs for me to end him."

"I hate to throw this on top of our pile of stuff to deal with but I ran into Kate while I was in Brazil." Derek piped up, glancing around at each and every person within sight. "She was on her way back here, and she's-"

"She's going to die too." Sydney cut in, a look of pure determination on her face. "It's been a long time coming, and that bitch is _mine_."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts?_**

 ** _There's only 4 more chapters now!_**


	35. Chapter 35

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 35** **:**

" _Don't worry about Ethan, trust me."_

Stiles words to her floated through her mind while she followed Peter almost aimlessly. The group had decided that splitting up _was_ the best idea and even though Sydney wanted nothing more than to track down her missing beta, she had been assigned elsewhere.

She wasn't going to argue, especially not after Stiles had said what he did to her. She did trust him, that was exactly it, but it didn't make her feel any better about it. Stiles was amazing to her, as a friend and confidante, the least she could do at this point was have faith that he'd find Ethan, leaving her to handle the bigger threats, the threats that would most likely involve physical fighting. Yes, Sydney was much better suited to _that_ sort of thing than tracking down her beta.

"You're worried." Peter stated, breaking into her thoughts. Sydney gave a quick shake of her head and focused her attention on him, wondering what he thought about all of this.

It wasn't like he wasn't affected by everything, in fact, she knew he was. He was Bruin's father and it wasn't hard to see that he was a little nervous about leaving her in the vault with Aidan and Sam. Not for a lack of trust in Aidan, but Sydney knew he would've preferred to protect Bruin himself, the father in him shining more and more every day.

"How can I _not_ be worried?" She countered, her voice barely louder than a murmur. "Bruin's locked in the vault, which is great and all for right now, but what the hell happens if we don't make it?"

"I was referring specifically to your missing beta." Peter pointed out and a small, sad smile tugged at his lips. "But it's nice to know that you're not just a stone cold alpha with no emotions. I'd be a tad bit concerned if you weren't worried about your own daughter."

"Being away from her for this long is terrifying." Sydney confessed and took a step closer to him, curling her arms around his and drawing her body closer to him, resting her cheek on his shoulder. "But this needs to end, we can't just _let_ the hunters keep coming after us."

Peter gave her a nod of his head in agreement but he didn't respond right away. She let out a soft sigh and the two of them carried on moving, wandering towards the school. It was where they had been sent for the time being and frankly, Sydney was okay with it. Maybe she could try and catch Ethan's scent again, this time following it a little bit further than before.

She wasn't banking on it though, but it _was_ possible that they had missed something when they were at the school last.

Peter slipped his arm out of her hold and rested it across her back instead, gripping her side tight and holding her against him with everything he had. He wasn't about to admit it out loud but he wanted this to be over too, he wanted the hunters to go away, he wanted them to be able to live without the threat of being hunted, he wanted them to just be happy and free together, as a happy family.

Was that so much to ask for?

"We're going to finish this." Peter proclaimed, Sydney stiffening in his hold. She wanted to believe him, she knew they were going to fight until their last breath, but still, a part of her wasn't so sure it would be that easy. She was an alpha werewolf, so maybe they'd be able to stop the hunters, that didn't mean they'd be able to stop other werewolves from coming after her in an attempt to steal her alpha spark.

"Then what?" Sydney shot back. "We wait for the next bad thing to happen? We live in a constant state of anxiety wondering who's coming for us next? Or worse: _what's_ coming for us next?"

"Why don't we just focus on finishing this before we get into that?"

She let out a huff of frustration and tipped her head back, looking up at the stars in the night sky. Okay, fine, Peter had a point, there'd be plenty of time to worry about other things later, they had to get through _this_ first, they had to rid the town of the Anuke-ite, and all the hunters that were after them too.

They would cross the bridge of more threats when they got there, but for this very minute, Sydney would put all her energy and focus into fixing the town.

"Maybe we could take a little vacation to Colorado then? Once we kick this Anuke-ite's ass?" She questioned and, without expecting it, Peter came to a dead stop. He turned his head and met her eyes, Sydney flickering her red alpha irises at him, drawing out his icy blues.

A smirk grew on his face and Peter gave her a nod of his head, "just you and me and the girls?"

"Yeah." She breathed the word out. "I think maybe we need some time, just us."

"I think that's your best idea tonight."

Sydney let out a soft chuckle and pulled away from him, taking up a slow pace in front of him. Peter hurried to catch up to her and jogged passed her, taking over the lead as she let out another laugh. He turned and jogged backwards, his eyes locked on her as she threw her hands up into the air and kicked it into high gear, easily relinquishing the lead from him.

Peter growled but picked up his own pace, rushing by her once again, this time he reached out and nudged her on the arm, throwing off her balance, but not enough to cause her to stumble. She snarled at him and leapt forward, hitting him on the side before taking her rightful spot in first place.

When she approached the school doors, she turned sideways and pushed her hip against it, waiting for Peter to catch up before letting him open the door, ushering her in ahead of him.

"I love you." Sydney whispered and reached out to take his hand, Peter letting her as they looked around the hallway, their bodies tensing at the atmosphere.

A shiver coursed through her spine and she tightened her hold on Peter's hand, wondering when the high school had gotten so eerie, so uncomfortable.

"I don't like this." Peter mumbled and tucked her behind him ever so slightly. She let him stay in front, remaining his mate and not turning into his alpha, no, this was a time that she'd gladly let him protect her.

It was so creepy, so quiet in the school, and it was even the slightest bit chilly in the hallway, more so than it was outside. Something weird was going on here, something that set her on edge, and even managed to rattle Peter enough to tuck her behind him.

"I'm getting the willies just _being_ here." Sydney confessed in a whisper.

Her body shuddered as another shiver ran down her spine but she didn't say anything. Now was the perfect time to be quiet, to simply take in their surroundings and pray that they'd get out of here in one piece.

When Peter's phone vibrated in his pocket, she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound, but he was quick to make a move to grab it, freeing it from his jeans and answering the call in seconds. She stuck close to him but let go of his hand, turning her back so that she could keep an eye out behind them.

"Are you there?" Malia's voice came through the phone and Sydney remained silent, listening in to the conversation with ease.

"We are." Peter answered simply, his eyes scanning this way and that, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"Do you see anything weird?"

He sucked in a breath and moved forward, Sydney right behind him as he rounded the corner. At the sight in front of him, he froze in his tracks and studied the rock hard statues in the middle of the hallway. Sydney turned her head and peered around his shoulder, letting out a squeal at the horrible sight.

"Weird is most definitely a good word for it, I personally might've used the term peculiar or-"

" _What_ do you see?" Malia cut him off, a growl of frustration following her words. Now was _not_ the time for Peter's ranting, but Sydney couldn't find her voice to tell him that herself.

"Uh, two bodies?" Peter responded, cautiously stepping closer to the stoned bodies, confused on what to actually call them. They were carrying weapons, guns like the ones that had shot at them not long ago, but they too were turned to stone, clearly hunters who had been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not that Sydney was complaining, stone guns meant they wouldn't be shot at, not by these two anyway, but it didn't make the fear any worse.

"Oh my god." Sydney whimpered and pulled her eyes away from Peter, pressing her forehead against his back, right between his shoulder blades. What the hell were they hunting, what had done this to them, and most importantly, was this their fate too?

"No blood, no wounds." Peter added quickly, stepping between the two frozen men. Sydney pulled away from him and backed up, moving closer to the wall, desperate to stay as far away from them as possible in case they magically sprung back to life. Peter, on the other hand, got all up close and personal with the unmoving hunters, studying them carefully, looking for anything that might help them.

"What do they look like?" Malia pressed, Peter cocking his head as he stood in front of one of them, staring at his stone face.

"Statues…" Peter turned his head to take a look at the second guy. "Greek."

"What the _fuck_?" Sydney cried out, throwing her hands into the air. "Are they…are they dead?"

Peter turned his attention to her but didn't offer anything as an answer. She stared at him, watching him carefully as he continued to speak with Malia over the phone, except he wasn't actually saying anything and all she could hear was Malia's frantic tone as he pulled the phone away from his ear.

" _Peter, close your eyes, do it. Close them now."_

"What?" Sydney called out and Peter rounded on his heels, taking off down the hall. She broke out into a jog behind him, following him as he forced open a set of doors, her body just barely slipping through before they closed on her.

"Peter wait!" Sydney hollered but felt a chill run through her, Peter moving purposefully down the hallway. She stopped in her tracks and watched, not sure what he was doing, or why. "God dammit."

" _Sydney!"_

No! No! What the hell was that and why…why did it sound like her mother's voice. What the hell was going on here, fuck! Her parents had been dead for years, but she swore, god it sounded like her mom, _so_ much like her mom…

"No." Sydney whined and brought her hands up, covering her ears. It was no use, her name was called out once again, echoing against the walls, but this time it sounded exactly like her dad. "No!"

She pressed her back against the wall and kept her hands over her ears. They weren't real, they _couldn't_ be real! They had been dead for years, killed in front of her very eyes. She had smelled their blood on the walls for as long as she could remember, the scent only disappearing when her house was set on fire and burned to nothing more than a pile of ash.

They weren't here, her parents weren't here and this wasn't real, _none_ of this was real.

"Peter!" She sobbed, feeling her eyes welling up with tears. "Peter!"

She dropped her gaze down to the floor and blinked, forcing the blur from the tears away, sending them running down her cheeks. None of this was real, she had to get out of here, she had to get away from this nightmare.

Whipping her head to the last place she had seen Peter, she reluctantly pulled her hands away from her ears and balled them into fists instead. When her name was called out for a third time, she shook her head and looked down the hall, catching sight of Peter's back as he continued to walk, apparently not having heard her calling out for him.

"Peter wait!" She yelled and broke out into a jog.

He turned to the side, as though he had heard her, but there was a lost look in his eyes, and that's when _it_ appeared.

What the hell!?

Letting out an ear piercing shriek, Sydney was reduced to watching as the thing in front of Peter stared back at him, eyes glowing brightly like headlights in the night. Her shriek carried on down the hall but it was too late to stop whatever was happening as Peter's legs turned to stone first, the rock hard material taking over his body, traveling upwards, until all that was left of her mate was a statue, a statue like the ones that they had just seen.

"Peter!" Sydney cried out for him but when the thing, which looked like a human but without any defining features, started to turn towards her, she threw herself against the wall and curled into a ball.

Her body dropped down to the floor and she covered her head, forcing the voices of her parents to the back of her mind. This thing was playing with her, it wanted her to look for her parents, but she wasn't falling for it, she wasn't going to give it the advantage that it was seeking.

"Go away." Sydney muttered. "My parents are dead, this isn't real."

She squeezed her eyes shut and forced herself to listen to the thing's footsteps. It was approaching her, slowly, carefully, with calculated steps, but she wasn't going to give in. Peter was a statue, but that didn't mean he was dead, right? Fuck, she had to get out of here, she had to get to a place where she could take a few seconds, calm down, and come up with a game plan.

She knew she had to get Peter back, but she needed him alive in order to move him, but how.

Mentally counting to three, Sydney sprung up and darted for the nearest stairwell, taking them two at a time as she moved, getting as far away from the thing, which she assumed was the so called Anuke-ite, as she possibly could.

When she hit the second floor, she continued running, surging for anywhere that the thing wouldn't follow her. Without thinking too much about it, she grabbed hold of the nearests doorknob and twisted it, forcing the door open and slipping inside. Slamming the door behind her, she dropped down into a crouch, her back pressed against the door, as she waited, listening carefully for any sign of the Anuke-ite having followed her.

Nothing but silence was heard though and Sydney sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She was of no use to anyone, specifically Peter, if she was in a state of constant panic, but how was she supposed to save Peter, how was she supposed to get him turned back to his normal, fleshy self?

"Okay, pull it together." Sydney muttered to herself and ran a shaky hand through her hair. She sucked in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds and then released it. "You're a strong, capable, female alpha, you can do this…you can beat this thing. You have to."

With unsteady legs, Sydney slowly brought herself up to her full height, sidestepping so that she was no longer in front of the door, instead, she stood right next to it, hidden from view if someone happened to wander down the hallway. She let her eyes fall shut, steadied her breathing, and focused on listening for anything, anything at all.

She wasn't going to win any fights by hiding in this room, no, she had to go back out there, but she wasn't about to walk into an ambush. She had the advantage, she had the ability to hear any threats before they had a chance to find her, she had a chance to smell…wait, smell…was that…

Oh Jesus, someone was outside, someone was relatively close by, but it wasn't a threat, no, it smelled an awful lot like Derek, but why…why was Derek here?

"Get to Derek." Sydney nodded her head and opened her eyes, knowing they were glowing red. "Get to Derek, he'll know what to do."

As quietly as she could, she opened the door just enough for her to slip back out into the hallway, and once she was sure no one else was up here with her, she tiptoed back down the hall, following Derek's scent. She paused at the top of the stairs and peered down, trying to get a vantage point so that she wasn't walking in blind.

"He's not dead. He can't be." Malia's voice pierced her ears and she let out a soft sigh of relief. Okay, this was good, Malia was with Derek, and so was Scott, she could deal with that, in fact, she'd love to get to them, join them in their endeavor so that she wasn't wandering around the school all by herself. Surely they'd have an idea on what to do.

Sydney dropped her foot down onto the first step and caught Derek's attention, his eyes landing on her immediately. As soon as he saw that it was just her, his body visibly relaxed and she made quick work of descending the stairs, heading right for Derek and burying herself against his chest. He gave her a quick hug and Sydney peeled herself away from him, throwing a soft smile in Malia's direction before looking to Scott.

"This _thing._..I saw it…it turned him to…to this…" Sydney trailed off, taking in the sight of the statuesque Peter in front of them, even going as far as to wave her hand in Peter's direction. "I heard my parents…"

"Is he dead?" Malia pressed and Sydney sucked in a breath, wondering if she wanted to know the answer.

"There's a heartbeat, but it's faint." Derek answered after a few beats. At his words, Sydney tried to listen for Peter's rhythmic heartbeat but it wasn't the only sound she heard. She also heard faint footsteps. "We're not alone."

Scott took a step closer to Peter's stone form, studying him, taking in the sight of him as though he was looking for a solution. He did it silently, and Sydney focused her ears on the approaching footsteps, wondering what they were going to do.

"Scott?" Malia spoke first, breaking the silence that had fallen over them.

"I think I know how to catch it." Scott countered and Sydney opened her mouth to say something but the mere sight of Peter had her rendered speechless. If Scott knew how to catch it, then did he know how to help Peter? Could they beat this thing and save everyone that had been turned to stone? "I just need…let me call Stiles."

Sydney wasn't about to jump into the conversation, no, if Scott had it all figured out, then she'd let him handle this. She was here for back up, she was here to kill when they needed her too, she was here for Peter, and if Scott knew what he was doing, she'd stand back, she'd give him her support and whatever else he needed.

Her eyes clung to the true alpha as he pulled out his cell phone and dialed Stiles' number, waiting for the lanky teenager to answer. When he did, Sydney breathed a soft sigh of relief at the sound of Stiles' voice, knowing he was still alive, and simply listened in as Scott requested mountain ash.

Mountain ash, huh, well, that was certainly something that she never would've thought of, but then again, it sort of made sense. At the very least, it would put a barrier between them and the Anuke-ite that it wouldn't be able to cross, right? As much as Sydney was prepared to fight, using her fists and feet, she knew that that wouldn't be the permanent solution. The Anuke-ite turned people to stone with its eyes, which meant that fighting it would be a lot harder than she had anticipated.

"You okay?" Derek quipped in a low tone, his words directed at Sydney and only Sydney. She gave a nod of her head but quickly decided that she wasn't okay, and shook her head no instead.

"I heard my mom calling for me, then my dad." She stated.

"It wasn't real." Derek replied softly, reassuring her that this was all a big mind fuck. "Your parents…"

"Are dead, I know." She gave him a bow of her head and he slipped his arm around her shoulders, clinging to her tightly. "Doesn't make it feel any less real."

"What do we do then?" Derek posed the question, this time his voice louder, so that everyone could hear. Scott moved the phone away from his ear and he looked around at the three people with him, then his eyes landed on Peter, who hadn't moved at all, not that he could, considering he was stone.

At the increasing sound of the far off footsteps, Sydney's head whipped up towards the landing on the stairs. She gripped Derek's hand and tugged him along behind her as she made her way to the stairs, quickly going upwards and tucking her body around the corner. Derek pressed himself against her as Scott and Malia followed their lead, all of them out of sight as the footsteps, which belonged to hunters now that they could see them, moved right past them.

"We can't just hide. Peter's not going to last like that." Malia pointed out in a harsh whisper. Sydney knew she was right, but it wasn't like they had a lot of other options.

"Neither will we if that thing finds us too." Derek countered, ushering Sydney behind him. She fought off the urge to roll her eyes but accepted it for what it was. Derek was trying to keep her safe too and for whatever reason he had, she wasn't going to fight him. There was no time to argue, to remind him that she was a perfectly competent alpha, this time she'd let him get away with it.

"We can't just leave him though." Sydney argued, pressing her palm against Derek's bicep. "Can we?"

"We've got to wait for Stiles." Scott instructed.

"Well, I'm not waiting here." Malia proclaimed, pushing herself off the wall.

She bypassed Scott and jogged down the stairs quickly, hitting the main floor and breaking out into a run. Without hesitating, Scott and Derek followed her, Sydney moving right alongside Derek, not wanting to be left alone, not here, not when there were hunters _and_ an Anuke-ite running around the school looking for them.

She knew that it was better to have a pack with her, even if it wasn't _her_ pack. There was strength in numbers and she wasn't about to forfeit the help she had.

"Whoa, hey. Malia, hold on." Scott called out to the werecoyote, Derek stopping on the last step and keeping Sydney behind him. Malia paused, but when Scott turned his attention down the hall, Sydney gasped at the sight of a female hunter with a menacing looking gun pointed right at them.

"Scott-" Malia tried to respond to him but she was cut off.

When the gun was fired and the bullet whizzed towards her, Scott pushed her out of the way just in time to take the shot in the shoulder. He dropped to the ground, groaning in pain, and that's when Derek hopped down to get a look at Scott. He turned his attention towards where the bullet had come from and Sydney gave Derek a slight shove, moving him out of the way as she took up a stance next to Malia.

"I'm okay, I'm okay, don't let her go." Scott's words were frantic but it was all Sydney needed to hear. Malia let out a growl that was more like a war cry than anything, then she brought out her claws and teeth before surging forward, heading for the woman who stood at the end of the hallway. Sydney made a move to go after her, to help her in her fight, but Derek's hand tapped her on the back of the calf, drawing her attention back to the fallen Scott.

"I need you here." Derek said calmly, his voice firm.

"Just tell me what you need." Sydney responded and dropped down to a crouch on Scott's other side, smelling the rotten scent that was wafting off his wound. "Jesus."

"I'm okay, really." Scott forced the words out, his breathing was already becoming unsteady, but the look in Derek's eyes said otherwise.

"No, you're not okay, it's yellow wolfsbane. It's going to kill you." Derek supplied, and Sydney's eyes widened in surprise. Yellow fucking wolfsbane, how did the hunter at the end of the hall get her hands on something that potent, something that powerful- unless she wasn't just an amateur-

Good lord, what the hell was going on here, and why had the woman shot Scott with yellow wolfsbane, what had he ever done to her?

"We need to get him out of here." Sydney provided and set her hands around his bicep while Derek did the same on his other side. The two of them hauled Scott to his feet and helped him walk in the opposite direction that Malia had run off in.

Derek took the lead and Sydney merely kept up with his pace as he led him to a room, a specific room, a room that Derek knew would be able to help them. He had gone to Beacon Hills high school, she had not, she wasn't about to take charge when Derek would have a better idea of where to go than her.

She kept pace, both of them keeping Scott upright; while Derek searched for the place he was looking for. He slowed down after rounding a corner and took in the sight of all the doors within view before settling on the one that he clearly wanted. She held Scott on her own while Derek forced the door open and once they were inside, Sydney knew exactly where he had brought her.

The stinging odours of the chemicals hit her first and she raised a hand up to cover her nose, trying to keep the horrendous smells out of her nose. Derek took Scott out of her hold and led him over to a table.

"Okay, sit down, sit down." Derek demanded, ushering Scott towards a stool. Sydney turned around and wandered over to the door, which had been left open in the haste. She made quick work of closing it and pushed the button in the handle to lock it, not that it would stop a hunter if they wanted in desperately enough, but it definitely helped her feel a little bit better.

"Derek, just go, help Malia, please." Scott pleaded and Sydney straightened up.

"I can-"

"Look, I'm not worried about her, we've got to get rid of this and there's only one way to get rid of wolfsbane." Derek stated, effectively silencing Sydney as he did so. Okay, Derek had a point, Malia could probably handle herself, it wasn't like she was weak, no, quite the opposite.

Sydney had witnessed her on more than one occasion as she fought for her life, her friends' lives, no Malia would be able to handle anything that came her way and she'd do it in style. The more Sydney saw of the werecoyote, the more she respected her.

"Wolfsbane…" Sydney said the word out loud and shook her head at the thought. The only way to get rid of wolfsbane was to burn it out, a lesson she had witnessed first-hand when Peter had been attacked by the mouthless assassin in Derek's loft. He had been in excruciating pain, but he had survived and really, wasn't that the important thing?

Derek shot Sydney a desperate, knowing look and got to work on searching for the tool he needed. Soon she joined him, hoping that she'd know what she was looking for when she laid eyes on it. They needed some sort of fire, so first choice was a blow torch, but did high schools really have blow torches? Maybe, if not, she knew they'd have a Bunsen burner.

When Derek pulled a small, hand held blow torch out of one of the cabinets, she stopped looking and watched as he brought the flame to life, a bright blue that meant it was burning hotter than any normal fire she had ever seen. He let the flame die and turned his attention to Scott, who was breaking out into a sweat from the wolfsbane flowing through his system.

"We've got to burn it out."

"What?" Scott's eyes widened in panic, Sydney peering over her shoulder at the weakening alpha on the stool.

"It only hurts for a second." Sydney lied, having no idea how long it would really hurt for. She shot him what she was hoping was a reassuring smile before stepping towards him, waiting for Derek to give her the signal to hold him down.

"Okay, look, you're not going to be able to do much until you heal." Derek stated.

"If I'm right, we just need Stiles to get here." Scott replied confidently. Yes, right, Stiles was coming and he was bringing the mountain ash, the very mountain ash that would stop the Anuke-ite, if everything went according to plan anyways.

"Until then, we fix you." Sydney pressed and moved to take a stand behind Scott, digging her fingers into the tops of his shoulders. Derek lit the torch once again and met Scott's eyes. "You got this."

"Okay." Scott lamented, and let Derek move the flame against his skin.

She felt him go rigid but he barely thrashed, not like she was expecting him to. She still held him though, keeping him steady so that Derek didn't burn him where he didn't need to be burnt, and when Scott bared down and gritted his teeth, she knew that she was never going to doubt this kid again.

He was so strong, so fierce and deserved to be every bit the true alpha he was. Scott McCall was a valuable asset to have on her side, and once this was all over, she'd make peace with the kid, admit she had had some misgivings about him before but now she had total faith in him. If anything happened to her, she'd want her betas to seek him out.

As the flame licked at Scott's skin with each passing second, she could feel his body weakening from the pain and from fighting off the poison. He let out a scream, a cry of sheer agony, and Sydney merely stayed behind him, supporting him physically as he fought against the poison from the bullet.

One of Scott's hands latched onto Derek's forearm and after just a few more seconds, the flame died and her beta pulled the torch away from Scott's shoulder. Scott surged forward towards Derek, who caught him with ease, Sydney remaining behind him in case he fell backwards.

"Okay, okay, okay. I've got you, it's all right. Okay, that's all right, that's all right. Okay." Derek soothed the kid, but it didn't take away from what he had just endured. If she had been in his shoes, she had no idea if she would've been as tough, but she was glad that she didn't have to find out, and she hoped that she never would.

When Scott did start to sway, she darted forward and caught his back as he passed out from the pain. Derek and her managed to get him to the floor without causing too much more damage to the weakening alpha. Once Scott was lying on the floor, Sydney set her hand on his wrist and drew out any lingering pain she could manage, Derek shooting her an appreciative look.

"How long do you think he'll be out?" Sydney questioned.

"I don't know." Derek offered with a shrug. "I hope it's not too long, we've still got a war to fight."

"And we're going to need all the help we can get."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts?_**


	36. Chapter 36

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 36** **:**

"Ethan?" Sydney murmured in the silence class room. She cocked her head sideways and let her eyes fall shut momentarily, taking in the very faint scent that had floated into her nose.

Was it really him? Was he really here? Or was this another trick?

"You smell him too?" Derek questioned and took a step towards the door, but he stopped halfway there and turned back towards Sydney, who was frozen in place, her butt planted on the stool near Scott's unconscious form. "Syd…"

"We should go…right? We should see if it's really him?" Sydney pressed and lowered her feet to the ground, pushing her butt off the stool and quickly closing the distance between her and Derek. Once she was within reach, she wrapped her hands around his forearm and held him close, trying to remain calm.

The Anuke-ite was out there, so were the hunters, but Sydney could smell Ethan, she could sense him. He was here, he was in danger too, hell they all were. But if she could get to Ethan, that meant they'd have another person on their side, another person who would fight with them. She just had to get to him, but going out there, heading out where the danger lurked, didn't sound all that appealing to her.

"It could be a trick, like your parents." Derek pointed out but his voice faltered, almost like he didn't believe his own words. He could smell Ethan too, surely the Anuke-ite couldn't replicate scents of other people, right? Voices sure, but their actual scents- well that seemed unlikely.

"And just leave Scott here?" Sydney countered.

"Better in here than out there." Derek pointed out and gave a nod in the direction of the door.

Sydney nodded her understanding and Derek tipped his head back, forcing out his razor sharp canines as well as his icy blue irises. Sydney followed his lead and let go of his arm, using her alpha reds to help her in case Ethan was nearby. She tiptoed out the door after Derek, who let out a low snarl as he moved.

She was on high alert, hoping to god that they could find Ethan before the Anuke-ite, and the hunters, managed to find them. This wasn't how she had planned her day to go, and the fact of the matter was, Peter was a statue, he was stone, just like Lydia had seem, but was he dead? He hadn't been when they were near him last but surely he wouldn't be able to survive like that forever.

This whole situation was a load of shit, and Sydney couldn't help but feel her anger rising. The hunters needed to be stopped, the Anuke-ite needed to be beaten, and she would do everything she could to make sure both of those things happened. This was their town, it belonged to Scott McCall, the true alpha, as well as the Hales. She wasn't going to be pushed to defeat, she wasn't going to lie down and die, she was going to fight like her life depended on it, because at that moment, it did.

"Derek…" Sydney murmured but let her sentence trail off. Derek led them down the hall, rounding the corner as they moved silently, praying that they wouldn't be heard. She kept close by, not wanting to get separated, but the further into the school they moved, the eerier things became.

" _Sydney."_

No! No they weren't real! The voice couldn't belong to her mother, she was dead. This was all a trick, a trick that she could overcome, no matter how hard it was, no matter how desperate she was to see her parents one more time- it wasn't real.

She caught sight of Derek, watching him as he stiffened in front of her, but Sydney sucked in a breath and took a step back, wondering what _he_ was seeing. Good god, this Anuke-ite was a beast to get past, it had tricks galore, but she was smarter than that, _better_ than that. She could stay out of harm's way, she could keep herself from getting turned to stone, she just had to focus and remember that she was a skilled, strong, smart alpha.

Her and Derek could fight their way out of this and get to Ethan, she had faith, she _had_ to have faith.

Rounding yet another corner, Sydney remained following her childhood best friend. His eyes were scanning in front of him, all the while Sydney tried to remind herself that her parents were gone, whoever had called for her wasn't real, she wasn't going to go down like that.

Derek's head jerked to the side and his body followed suit, Sydney immediately making a move to get in front of him. She stopped dead in her tracks though, mesmerised by his movements. Whatever he was hearing was obviously getting under his skin, she could hear his heartbeat pick up in pace and she could smell the anxiety wafting off of him.

" _Sydney! Where are you?"_

Peter! Did that mean…no, no he was a statue, he had been turned to stone in front of her very eyes. There was no way he could've managed to figure out how to change himself back, right? But what if…what if he had, what if being turned to stone was a temporary thing? What if he was alive and worried because she wasn't there?

"Peter?" Sydney hissed out in front of her, turning her back to Derek, who seemed to be heading down the opposite end of the hallway. What was he hearing though?

She was too caught up with finding Peter, she needed to see for herself that he was still stone, she needed proof before she could believe it for real.

"You're not real." Derek's voice cut into her ears and she winced at how much pain was behind them. Low growls and grumbles echoed from him too and Sydney turned to face him, taking in the sight of him ready to fight, his claws out and arms at his sides, whatever was coming for him.

" _Sydney!"_

She brushed off Peter's voice and shook her head, knowing that Derek needed her more right now. Peter, if he was no longer a statue, could certainly handle himself, and he could easily track her down. She needed to stick with Derek, she needed to remind herself that this wasn't real, but Derek was.

Derek was real, she could touch him, she could hear him, smell him, see him. He was right in front of her and he wasn't a threat to her. He couldn't turn her to stone, he was there to fight with her and she'd stick by him, no matter who called out for her.

"Derek, she's not real." Sydney's voice was low and calm and she cautiously approached her friend, debating whether or not she wanted to reach out and touch him, to remind him with her touch that she was right there with him and she _was_ real. They could fight this thing, so long as they did it together.

"Not real." Derek muttered.

"Who is it?" Sydney pressed but remained just a few feet away, her entire body jerking as Derek kept his face pointed down at the ground. He swiped at the air with his claws and Sydney knew that whatever he was hearing, or seeing, was close enough to him that it was a real threat. He needed her to remind him that he had Sydney, whatever else he was dealing with wasn't really there. "Derek!"

Her voice cut into the air but Derek made a move to swipe at the air in front of him one more time. Sydney turned away from it and caught sight of a figure in her peripheral vision. She curled her body against the nearest wall and pressed her face against it, moving her arms over her head and shielding her from whatever was nearby. She didn't want to look, she didn't want to watch, but she knew that she couldn't stay huddled against the door forever, eventually she'd have to move, she'd have to figure out what she was going to do.

Sydney stared down at the ground, her arms covering most of her head, and she watched Derek's feet just off to the side, but they weren't moving. His heart was pounding, as was hers, and she could tell without looking at him that he was hurting. Whoever was after him wasn't someone that he was willing to just fight, no, this was someone who he had cared for once upon a time.

"Derek!" Sydney cried out, desperation in her tone. She wanted nothing more than to help her friend, but all she could do was watch his feet, her brows furrowing together as they started to turn gray in front of her eyes. "Derek!"

She sucked in a breath but remained tucked against the wall, listening for any sign of life in the hallway. She could hear footsteps but they were fading with each passing second, even still, she didn't dare look up until she knew for sure that she was alone with Derek, or what was left of him.

She hated this, she hated having to hide her eyes from this particular enemy. She hated that Peter had been caught in the crossfire, she hated that Derek was currently a statue a mere ten feet away. She was on her own for the time being, and she prayed that the others- Scott, Malia, even Ethan- were fine. If she could just find some reinforcements, if she could manage to locate someone so that she wasn't completely alone, then that was a step in the right direction.

After a few more seconds of being pressed against the wall, Sydney focused her hearing on the hallway and shivered at the only sound, other than her own pounding heart, being Derek's faint rhythmic beating. Dear god, she was finally alone, she was on her own, this was on her. She had to get ahead, she had to figure out an advantage so that she could help defeat the Anuke-ite as well as keep the hunters at bay.

Slowly rising to her feet, but keeping her eyes on the floor, she leaned her back against the wall and sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm herself even the tiniest little bit. She scanned the floor in case the Anuke-ite had fooled her, but upon seeing that Derek's legs were the only ones visible in the hallway, she tipped her head back and looked out in front of her, whimpering at the sight of the statued Derek.

God! What happened to those that were stone, were they able to be saved, or was this it for them? Were they just going to remain hardened rock for the rest of their lives? Or would they die?

"Pull it together." Sydney muttered and shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She didn't want to give up, she didn't want to think about losing Derek and Peter forever, she would get them back, and she'd fight like hell to do it.

When approaching footsteps caught her attention, Sydney stiffened and clenched her fists, readying herself for a fight. Had the Anuke-ite come back for her, or was this simply some of the hunters? Hunters she could handle, especially the ones working with Munroe; they were inexperienced and had no idea what she was capable of.

Moving as silently as she could, she rounded the corner and broke out into a jog, heading back towards where her and Peter had originally entered. As soon as she rounded the corner and laid her eyes on Peter, she froze, a low growl erupting from deep within her gut at the sight of Munroe herself running her fingers along Peter's hardened face.

" _We got another one here._ " A gravelly voice sounded out and Sydney forced out her claws, studying the scene in front of her. She watched as Munroe moved her hand away from Peter and rested it against the radio in her hand. Oh, oh Jesus, that's what that was. She had a radio, she had other hunters in other parts of the school. " _I don't know if he's dead ,but he definitely looks vulnerable_."

"So take them out." Munroe responded via the radio and Sydney squeezed her eyes shut for a split second, when she opened them, she could feel the red glow of her irises.

" _How exactly_?" The hunter from the other end of the radio questioned and Sydney rolled her shoulders back, preparing herself to fight. She could take this woman out, she was working with Gerard yes but she wasn't as well off as he was, she wasn't an Argent. Surely she wouldn't be as hard to get rid of as anyone with the last name of Argent.

"Use your bullets." Munroe spoke into the radio, Sydney leveling this woman with a glare. She was going to die, here and now. "One in the head and one in the heart."

" _Copy_." The hunter responded, Munroe raising her own gun and pointing it directly at Peter's head. Without thinking any more about what she was about to do, Sydney cleared her throat, drawing Munroe's attention towards her. The woman seemed taken aback for about two seconds, but then, she moved the gun away from Peter and pointed it right at Sydney instead, cocking the pistol and readying herself to shoot.

The hunter that she was with kept his gun trained on Peter though but she could see it in his eyes, he was distracted, by her, and that was their first mistake.

"That won't be necessary." Sydney drawled and took a few slow steps forward, closing in on the hunters, listening to their heartbeats. The male with Munroe was scared, she could tell easily, his heart pounding so hard it sounded like it might just explode. Sure he had seemed confident when he was facing a defenseless Peter, but she was far from defenseless and she knew that the fiery red glow of her eyes was enough to throw off even the most seasoned hunter. "He's never hurt you, what's he done to deserve a bullet from your gun?"

She was taunting them now and without fail, the second gun was suddenly trained on her. She wasn't going to wait around for an invitation though, before either hunter had a chance to pull the trigger, she charged forward, letting out a feral growl and heading right for the male hunter, the less experienced hunter, the easier target.

His body collided with the wall as she threw him sideways, turning her attention to Munroe, who's gun was trained back on Peter's head. She tossed Sydney a malicious smirk but she didn't have the superhuman hearing, she couldn't tell that Peter's heart had picked up in pace the tiniest little bit. Things were about to take a turn on Munroe, for the worse, all Sydney had to do was survive the next couple of seconds.

When the stone encasing Peter began to crack and split, Sydney couldn't help but smirk; he was alive, he was alive and they could take these hunters out together, except, wait, was Munroe…was she backing away, was she really going to try to run from them? As Peter returned to his human self, and the stone turned to dust around him, Sydney watched helplessly as the female hunter began moving down the opposite end of the hallway.

Peter's body, freed from the rock, hunched over and he reared his head back, letting out a fierce roar, just in time for the discarded hunter to get to his feet. Sydney, after a brief roll of her eyes, walked towards the fallen man and kicked him hard in the chest, knocking him down before Peter followed up her attack with a hard right hook to his face, rendering the man unconscious.

"You good?" Sydney quipped and closed in on him, relaxing at the sight of Peter standing in front of her, no longer a statue. She let her eyes return to their normal brown and felt her razor sharp canines and talons retract before he met her halfway, enveloping her into a rough hug.

"Are you?" Peter countered and ran a hand over her head, tangling his fingers in her hair and forcing her to tip her head back.

"A little shaken up but I'm good." Sydney gave him a nod. "We should probably go find Derek though, and Ethan too."

"What?"

"Oh yeah, everyone's here." Sydney chuckled and freed herself from his grip. "You missed a lot."

Peter shook his head in disbelief and waved a hand down the hall dramatically. She knew he wanted her to lead the way and Sydney grabbed hold of his outstretched hand, tangling her fingers with his and taking off towards where she had last seen Derek, hoping that he was no longer a statue like Peter.

"Munroe?" Peter asked and moved along with her, matching her pace as she rounded the corner and locked her eyes on Derek, who was standing in between two fallen hunters.

"I don't know." Sydney shrugged and slowed her pace, the two of them getting closer to Derek, who shot Sydney a knowing smile. Yes, he was alive, and Peter was alive, and she had managed to keep herself alive too. It was a good day, a win in her books, except for the fact that Munroe was nowhere to be seen and Kate Argent was still alive somewhere.

"I saw…I saw Jennifer." Derek confessed and Sydney lifted her free hand up, ghosting her fingers along his jaw.

"I heard my parents." She countered and gingerly pulled her hand away from him. "It doesn't matter though, none of it was real."

Peter gave her hand a rough squeeze, Sydney stepping closer to him before he freed himself of her grip and slipped his arm around her shoulders instead. He studied his mate for a few seconds before looking to his nephew, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Did you…did you get turned to stone too?" Derek pressed and Sydney's lips curled upwards into the biggest shit-eating grin anyone had ever seen. When she started to laugh, he knew the answer, it wasn't hard to tell. Sydney had made it out of the night without being turned into a statue, she had managed to outsmart the Anuke-ite and remain human, inside and out.

"I'm an alpha, remember." She managed to get out through bits of laughter. "I'm clearly better than all of you."

"And so modest." Peter threw in with a roll of his eyes.

"You used to call me infuriating, did you really think that was going to change?" Sydney stated and took a step forward. "Come on, I don't know about you but I can smell Ethan, let's go find him so we can go home."

Derek was the first one to move and quickly Peter and Sydney fell in stride behind him, letting Derek track down her missing beta. They wandered through the school, still on alert for hunters, but not quite as worried as before. If Peter and Derek were no longer stone statues, that had to mean something good had happened for the good guys, right? Though that didn't mean that there wasn't still danger lurking around, then again, they were werewolves, surely they'd be able to sense danger before it actually got them, right?

Sydney continued to follow as Derek led the way, turning down this hall, then that. Peter maintained a firm grip on her, not letting her get too far away, but Sydney wasn't about to fight him on it either. She loved the feeling of his arm around her, she wouldn't give it up for anything, and the sooner they could find Ethan and get out of here to Bruin, Sam and Aidan, the better off they'd all be.

When Derek pushed open the door to the boys locker room, Sydney nearly rolled her eyes but concentrated on the fact that there were three heartbeats inside. Okay, so Ethan and Jackson were probably together, but that left the third. Would Lydia be with them, or was it Stiles? Either way, when she inhaled the three scents, the mystery one didn't belong to someone who set Sydney on edge, no, it was almost familiar.

"Ethan?" Sydney called out as they crossed over the threshold, stepping into the darkened locker room and closing in on her beta. She broke free from Peter's hold and surged on ahead, taking the lead and walking out at the end of the row of lockers, her eyes meeting Ethan's. He peered at her for a split second, then turned his attention to the retreating form of Coach Finstock, who shot Sydney a grin as he disappeared into his office.

"Good to see you Coach!" Sydney called out after him, taking note that there was a fallen hunter on the floor between her and Ethan, then all she heard from him in response was 'yeah yeah'. "Ethan!"

She ran at her beta and jumped into his open arms, letting him catch her and hug her tight. She breathed in his familiar scent and let her eyes fall shut, basking in the feeling of her beta being right here and alive. God it was so good to see him, to smell him, to be able to touch him. He was home, and he was safe!

"I have missed you." Ethan whispered, running his hand over the back of her head gingerly.

"I've missed you too." Sydney murmured in response and finally pulled away, but not letting go of him completely. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Yeah, well we just watched Coach beat a hunter to a pulp with a lacrosse stick, maybe okay's not the right word. I do think I'm ready to just go home and try to get that mental picture out of my head though." Ethan explained, still standing right next to Jackson. Sydney stepped sideways and offered the almost unfamiliar man her hand, Jackson taking it without a second of hesitation and shaking it. She smiled at him, then turned her attention towards Ethan, scowling.

"No more secrets." She grumbled and Ethan gave her a knowing nod. "You tell me everything from here on out, especially when it comes to hunters."

"You got it." Ethan acquiesced and before he could register what was happening, Sydney launched herself at him once again, taking him into another hug and squeezing him with every ounce of strength she had.

"I'm just glad you're okay." She murmured, letting herself relax in his hold. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost you, anyone of you."

"Speaking of which," Derek interrupted, clearing his throat to get their attention, Sydney peering back at him over her shoulder while maintaining her hold on Ethan, "we should go find Scott."

"Oh god!" Sydney yelped and remembered that the last she had seen of Scott was him lying unconscious on the floor of the classroom. "Jesus Christ, yes, we absolutely should do that."

Peter moved forward and grabbed her hand, tugging her out of Ethan's hold and embracing her in a hug of his own. She could've sworn he even threw Ethan a low growl, but what for? Perhaps he was a little jealous, envious that Ethan had her attention at that very moment. Oh well, it didn't matter, not to her anyways, she belonged with Peter, and no one was going to split them apart.

"We find Scott, then we go home." Peter instructed, his voice firm. She nodded her understanding and Derek once again took the lead, letting his nose try to catch wind of the true alpha's scent.

Ethan and Jackson passed Sydney and fell in step with Derek, leaving her alone with Peter in the middle of the locker room. She made a move to head towards the door but he gave her hand a squeeze and she turned back towards him, cocking her head sideways in confusion.

Before she could even brace herself, Peter had his lips pressed against hers in a gentle yet passion filled kiss. She relaxed against him and kissed him right back, thankful that they had both made it out of this alive. After a few blissful seconds, he pulled away and lifted his free hand up, resting his palm against the side of her neck.

"I love you Sydney, so much." He breathed the words out and she bowed her head, lifting her own free hand up and pressing her fingertips against his chest gently, directly over his heart, before flattening her palm against his shirt.

"I love you too." She responded softly. "Let's go check on Scott, then we can get Bruin and go home."

"That sounds like a wonderful plan."

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _Thoughts?_**

 ** _Also, on a side note, if there's anyone looking for a Peter Hale Christmas tale, check out my other fic: The Christmas Letter._**


	37. Chapter 37

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Chapter 37** **:**

Aidan's eyes were locked on Sam, while his arms were holding Bruin against his chest. Sam was wandering along the wall across the room slowly, her eyes taking in everything that resided on the shelf in front of her, intrigued to no end as to what each and every piece was down here. He knew that the poor girl was getting bored of waiting but she was doing really well at not letting it show, nor was she letting Aidan see how much she was truly worried for the alpha female that had taken her in when she had no one else to turn to. It was easy for Aidan to sense, Sam was on edge, she was nervous that Sydney wouldn't come back for them, but Aidan knew better.

If something happened to Sydney, he'd feel, hell, they'd all feel it. If she died, if someone, somehow, managed to end their female alpha's life, then Aidan would feel her pain, he'd feel her death. That didn't mean he wasn't nervous either though, there was still plenty of time for things to go wrong and so far, there was no sign of anyone coming to retrieve them from the vault any time soon.

"Sam?" Aidan called out for her and Sam stopped in her walking and turned to face him, throwing a small, sad smile onto her face. He lifted up a hand and waved her towards him, watching as she hesitated before beginning to step across the room, closing in on him. He held a slumbering Bruin in his arms as he sat on the floor, his back against the chest that he had originally sat on. He was getting a little anxious too, sure being in the vault was probably the safest solution for the time being, but it didn't make Aidan feel very useful.

His pack, what was left of it in Beacon Hills, was out there trying to save the world, and he was locked away in a vault babysitting. Okay, maybe his job was just as important, without him, Sydney would've been the one down here looking after the girls, and Sydney was definitely a better, more skilled werewolf than him, especially when it came to keeping a level head where Ethan was involved.

He had faith that she would get to his brother and bring him back to them, but another part of him was worried that the hunters were going to be a bigger threat than anyone would ever have expected. Gerard was leading them, surely they had to have some sort of secret weapon, he wasn't dumb and he certainly wasn't going into this turning a blind eye.

"I wish Petey was here." Sam whimpered and came to sit down next to him, leaning against his side as she peered down at the baby in his arms. "And Sydney, I miss them both."

"Me too Sam." Aidan replied, not knowing what else to say to the little girl. He missed Sydney too, he feared the worst, and wondered how he would manage to look after the two little girls if anything went wrong. He would do it, he'd raise them as best as he could, but he didn't want it to come to that, he wanted Sydney and Peter to waltz back down into the vault claiming a victory for the good guys.

"Do you think they're okay?" Sam quipped and curled up against Aidan, resting her forehead against his shoulder and letting out a soft sigh. "I want them to be okay."

"I'm sure they're fine." Aidan replied quickly, hoping that she didn't catch the hitch in his words. The war was far from over, and just because he hadn't felt Sydney die yet, didn't mean it still couldn't happen. Then again, there was an army of supernaturals willing to fight and they were tough. Surely they weren't going to go down without one hell of a fight. "We'd feel if something was wrong."

Sam nodded her understanding and let out another sigh. She shut her eyes and curled into a ball against him, hugging her knees against her chest as she tried to relax. Aidan tucked an arm around her back and held her against him, trying to comfort her the best he knew how.

They'd be fine, they'd all be fine, he just had to think positive. Sydney was fully capable; she was strong, she was smart and she had Peter by her side. They were an incredible pair, though he wouldn't easily admit that out loud.

"So," Aidan started, not entirely sure what to say to the girl, "you like it down here?"

Sam's eyes popped open and she stiffened with excitement. He knew that she was entranced by all of the artifacts and relics down here, but he wasn't very knowledgeable when it came to that stuff. If Peter had been with her down here though, he figured the little girl would've been able to spend hours and hours listening to the man explain what each and every piece was.

"I want to spend a week down here with Petey." She beamed at him. "I want him to tell me about everything!"

Aidan couldn't help but smile back at her. It certainly sounded like a great idea and maybe he would ask to join them if that ever happened. Knowing about the relics locked away in the vault would only be beneficial to him, but he wasn't sure how Peter would feel about having him down in the vault.

Aidan was still a little uneasy when it came to Peter but he trusted Sydney and Sydney seemed to trust Peter. They were pack, technically, and Aidan vowed a long time ago to get along with the man simply because Sydney loved him.

"I'm sure if you asked him, he'd love to tell you about everything." Aidan supplied and let his eyes fall down to land on Bruin's face. The little girl was starting to squirm in his hold and he prayed that she wasn't going to start crying when she woke up. He knew how to deal with her crying but he didn't _want_ to, not now, not here, not while they were away from Sydney.

Bruin had the closest connection to Sydney and he wouldn't be able to convince himself that her crying didn't mean that something had happened to the girl's mother. He just didn't want to deal with it, he didn't want the lingering bad thoughts to take over his mind, he just wanted his pack to be okay, he wanted his family to be together.

Sam stretched her arms into the air and clambered to her feet, marching over to the nearest shelf and grabbing whatever was within reach before returning back to Aidan and plopping down next to him. When he studied the item in her hand, he shook his head and knew exactly what he was looking at, the very triskele that Sydney had told him about ages ago, the one and only artifact that Kate Argent had tried to get months and months ago.

"That's the Hale pack symbol." Aidan stated, Sam running her fingers over the pattern carved into the wood disk in her hand.

"Our symbol?" Sam questioned and Aidan shook his head no.

"We're not…I mean technically we're not _the_ Hale pack." Aidan tried to answer but he found himself confused on what pack they _were_. Sydney was a Vance, that was her last name, but she was mated to Peter Hale, so by supernatural standards, they were as good as married, yet her name was still Sydney _Vance_ and she was their alpha. So what did that mean for their pack exactly?

"No?" Sam pressed and flipped the trinket over, staring at the blank back before rolling it over in her hands once more. "What are we?"

"Vance." Aidan answered, with more confidence than he had felt. "We're the Vance pack."

"Do we have a symbol?" Sam asked, a hopeful look in her eye.

"I uh…I don't think so. I'm not actually sure." Aidan found himself stumbling over his words, but she was bringing up good points, she was asking decent questions. They didn't have a symbol, he wasn't sure what Sydney considered the pack to be- did it matter though, because he trusted his alpha, he trusted Sydney with his life.

"My old pack had a motto too; three things that cannot be hidden." Sam offered up, Aidan tilting his head sideways.

"The sun, the moon, the truth." He finished for her, a smile gracing his face. "It's a good motto."

"I like it." Sam giggled. "But I think we need a different motto, Syd needs a better one, don't you think."

"I agree." Aidan chuckled, letting a comfortable silence fall over them. He looked down at Sam, taking in the sight of her studying the triskele symbol on the wooden disk before dragging his eyes over to Bruin, who was currently partially awake and not yet screaming.

He was rather content, for the time being at least. He liked Sam, he really did, she had such potential and with Sydney and Peter teaching her, she'd become a great werewolf one day. Bruin would luckily be dealt the same fate, of course, that all depended on how tonight went.

At the sound of a door creaking open far away, Aidan went rigid and made his way to his feet. He offered the baby to Sam, who remained sitting on the floor, and she took her, cradling her in her arms and using her legs to help support her. Aidan then took up a stance in front of them, willing to protect them if it came to it, but a couple of minutes later, he felt himself relaxing at the familiar scent of his pack, which included his twin.

Sydney burst into the room, running right for him, but she dropped to the ground in front of Sam and took Bruin out of her arms, hugging her baby girl tight before gathering Sam against her chest and hugging her too. Peter was right behind them, moving a little less urgently, but he ended up in the same place, Sam burying herself into his chest and clinging to his jacket.

Ethan appeared next, Jackson by his side and Derek coming up the rear. Aidan jogged for his brother and took him into a warm embrace, glad that they had all made it back in one piece. He let out a sigh of relief as he hugged his brother, slapping him on the back as he did so.

"Glad you're okay." Aidan stated, reluctantly pulling away and offering Jackson a quick embrace as well. "Hopefully you're staying for a little while."

"A little while." Ethan answered with a smirk, Jackson smiling too.

"Well I'm back on a more permanent basis." Derek interjected, watching as Sam squirmed in Peter's hold to get free. Once she was out of his embrace, she ran for Derek, still holding onto the triskele, before leaping at him.

Derek caught her with ease and lifted her up, hugging her against his chest as she hugged him right back, pressing the disk against his shoulder. He felt the little girl nuzzle her nose into his neck and let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Being away from the pack, away from Sydney, Bruin and Sam, had taken a toll on him and he hadn't realized how much until that very minute.

This was his family, in more ways than one, and he wasn't going to go running off again, not any time soon.

"You're back!" Sam murmured and settled in against Derek, relaxing in his hold. Derek lifted his hand up and grasped the item in her hold. She let go of it and he took it from her, studying it carefully.

"Where did you find this?" Derek asked. Sam waved her hand around in the air and didn't need to answer with words. She had been locked in the vault, of course she had time to find something like this. "I thought I lost this."

"No." She shook her head. "It was here."

Derek smiled at her and meandered over towards Sydney, who was on her feet next to Peter, who had a quiet Bruin in his arms. He took up a stance beside Sydney and nudged her with his elbow, the three of them standing side by side in front of Ethan, Aidan and Jackson, who also stood side by side.

"Are we the Vance pack?" Sam questioned, breaking the silence that had fallen over them all. "Aidan said that we were."

Sydney shot a look in Peter's direction and he merely nodded his head, a small, proud smile plastered on his face. She returned her attention back to Sam and shook her head no.

"Beacon Hills has always belonged to the Hales." Sydney said softly. "I think we're definitely the Hale pack."

Derek's face broke out into a smile and he shook his head in amusement. This was Sydney's pack, it was her creation, her responsibility, and here she was sharing it with him and Peter. It was a nice gesture, a grand gesture even, he just hoped that she knew what she was doing.

"Are you sure?" Peter questioned, his eyes locked on Sydney.

"Come on Peter, we're mated." Sydney shot back in response, a smirk playing on her lips. "I think the least you can do at this point is marry me, make it official."

"Plus that way you and Bruin can have the same last name." Aidan threw in, clearly joking.

"Petey," Sam shrieked with a grin, "you have to marry her!"

"Yeah, who wouldn't want to marry her?"

Peter merely rolled his eyes and shook his head. Instead of dignifying their ribbing with a response, he headed for the exit, leaving them all in his wake. Derek was next to follow suit, the two men taking the two little girls with them, leaving Sydney alone with the three males. Jackson and Ethan broke away next, letting Derek and Peter lead the way, Aidan remaining where he was standing while Sydney planted her hands on her hips.

"You really want to be the Hale pack?" He asked, watching as she took her bottom lip in between her teeth. "Ultimately it's up to you, I'm with you no matter what."

"One day the pack will be Bruin's anyway." Sydney stated matter-of-factly. "She's a Hale, I'm merely speeding that process up."

"If you're sure." Aidan countered, Sydney slowly nodding her head yes. One day it would be Bruin's pack, that's what Sydney wanted, and why not start on that this very minute. The Hale pack, in all of its former glory, would return to Beacon Hills, better than ever.

She could do this, she could lead them just as well as she had been all along, and now she'd have Peter and Derek by her side, as well as the twins, and maybe Jackson, depending on how Ethan and him really felt about each other. The pack had such potential and one day, when Bruin was old enough, and ready to take over, Sydney would hand over the lead, letting her baby girl carry on for her.

"There was a Vance pack, a long, long time ago. It didn't fair very well." Sydney stated, sadness in her words.

"Yeah but some could say the Hale pack didn't either."

"Maybe, but the Hale pack was never completely gone."

"Neither was the Vance pack."

Sydney cocked her head sideways and knew that he wasn't completely wrong, but the Hale pack had never been without an alpha, they had always been together, had always been a pack. The Vance pack had been decimated, had fallen apart even before Sydney was a child. Her mother had been an alpha once but she hadn't been that she could remember. The Vance pack was gone, and part of Sydney wanted it to remain that way.

She could pave the way, she would officially become a Hale, and keep her pack safe for years to come. It was what she wanted, it had been all along, ever since she had confessed to Peter that she loved him all that time ago.

"This doesn't mean we all have to get triskele tattoos though, does it?" Aidan teased and Sydney let out a bark of laughter, shaking her head no. "Good because I'm not a fan of Derek's."

"All I need is your word." Sydney teased. "I'll be your alpha as long as you'll have me."

"And when you decide to step down, I'll follow Bruin to the ends of the earth."

Sydney smiled at him and let her arms fall to her sides. She walked towards him, looped her arm through his and led him towards the stairs. Aidan was glad that he was finally getting to leave the vault, but he was even happier that he was doing it with his alpha still alive, and all of his pack intact.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

"Wolves aren't as bad as they're made out to be. Werewolves, though- they're every bit as bad and worse." Sydney said, Sam sitting across from her on the bed. Bruin was tucked away in her crib in the corner of the room and the guys, all five of them, had congregated in the kitchen for some male bonding time. Sydney had gladly taken her leave, bringing the girls upstairs so that they could get ready for bed.

"But you're not bad." Sam pointed out and shifted from her butt to her knees, scooting ever so much closer to Sydney.

"I control it Sam, we all do. But the potential is there, we have to be good, we have to make the choice to be good, every day." Sydney carried on. "We have to choose to be better than the bad guys and not stoop to their level."

"Okay." Sam looked at her with a skeptical expression on her face.

"There will come a time when you do something that you won't necessarily be able to control, maybe it won't be that bad, maybe it will, but you have to know that no matter what, you can always trust me. I will be there for you, _always_." Sydney pressed, offering her hand out to the little girl. "I won't let anything bad happen to you, you're mine to protect, if that's what you really want."

Sam tipped her head sideways and looked up at Sydney, meeting her eyes. She forced her golden eyes out at her alpha, her mentor, and Sydney responded by countering with her alpha reds. Sam gingerly took Sydney's hand in hers and moved forward on the bed, clambering closer to Sydney and climbing into her lap, settling in so that her back was against Sydney's chest. Sydney's arms came around her and Sam let out a soft sigh, completely content to be exactly where she was.

"I want you to protect me." Sam said softly, curling into Sydney's body. "I want to be with you."

Sydney smiled down at her, waiting as Sam looked up at her, matching her smile with one of her own.

"You trust me?"

"Yes." Sam replied without hesitation.

"You know that I'll always be here for you."

"You came back tonight." Sam answered.

"I did." Sydney nodded. "Nothing was going to stop me from getting back to you and Bruin."

Sam nodded her head in understanding, waiting as Sydney shifted on the bed, leaning to her right so that she could reach for the triskele disk on the nightstand. Once she had a hold of it, she sat up straight and held Sam tighter, offering her the trinket in her hands.

The little girl took it and studied it once again, this time being able to see the grain of the wood in the light of the bedroom. She ran her fingers along the swirls, trying to memorize the pattern, to ingrain it in her head. This was her pack symbol, this was her alpha, she belonged here.

"I want you to have that, so does Peter." Sydney stated and Sam jerked her head up to meet Sydney's gaze, the disbelieving look in her eye was obvious. "You deserve it Sam, you're just as much a part of this pack as anyone else here."

"Really?" Sam asked, her eyes widening either from excitement or disbelief, Sydney wasn't entirely sure.

"Yes." She replied, running her hand up and down Sam's back in a soothing manner. "Unless you don't want it."

"No, no I want it!" Sam cried out and hugged the totem against her chest, cherishing it more than Sydney ever expected her too.

"Okay." Sydney murmured, leaning down and pressing a kiss against the top of Sam's head. "Okay, it's yours."

Sam slowly loosened her grip on the wooden disk but jerked to face the door at the sound of footsteps. Both females remained silent, waiting for the person to show up in their room and when Peter finally showed his face, Sam grinned at him, grateful that he had accepted her without question.

Sam knew that Peter was a rather difficult man, but Sam had never once felt like he hadn't liked her. Peter had always been nice enough to her, respectful of her, and accepting of her. She was glad that he was in the pack with her, that he was there to protect her, to help her become great.

"Look!" Sam exclaimed and held the triskele up, extending her arm high into the air. Peter smiled at the little girl's excitement and wandered into the room, gently lowering himself down onto the side of the bed beside her. "Sydney gave it to me."

"I told her I want you to have it." Peter nodded his head. "Derek agreed, he thought that you were the perfect person to keep it safe."

Sam continued to beam at him and lowered the relic to her chest, hugging it tight against herself. Peter reached a hand out and ran it down her back, drawing her attention back to him. Sam stared at him, but broke eye contact and peered up at Sydney, wondering if they wanted her to leave now.

Peter was here, which meant that it was probably time for bed, and she was sitting on his bed, so maybe it was time for her to go to her room. Except when she made a move to get up, Sydney held her tighter, only loosening her grip on the girl when Sam relaxed back into her hold.

"Thanks." Sam whispered, clutching the disk in her hand.

"You know Sam," Peter started and maneuvered further onto the bed, moving so that he was sitting next to Sydney, his side against hers. He peered down at the little girl in his alpha's arms and smiled, thankful that she had wound up in their possession. He adored Sam, he loved her as if she was his own, and there wasn't anything in the world that would harm her so long as he was alive. "I have to let you in on a little secret."

"What's that?" Sam stared at him, hanging on to his every word, clearly enticed by what he had to say.

"The female of the species is more deadly than the male." He stated, watching as Sam scrunched up her nose, clearly confused by his statement. "One day Bruin will be an alpha, but there's nothing stopping you from being one too."

"Really?"

Sydney couldn't contain the smile on her face at Sam's excitement. Just because Bruin was next in line to be the Hale pack alpha didn't mean that Sam couldn't also one day be an alpha. She had such potential, she was incredibly smart and with the right training, she'd be unbeatable.

"We just want you to be happy." Sydney threw out.

"I am." Sam argued, almost as if she was defending herself against Sydney. "And I want you to be proud of me."

Peter stole a look at Sydney, who smirked back at him in response but didn't say a word. This little girl in front of them was every bit a daughter as Bruin, she was theirs to look after, theirs to protect and raise; and that's precisely what they would do. Sam would become a strong female werewolf in her own right, there was no doubt about that.

This was Peter's family, Sydney: his mate and alpha, Bruin: his biological daughter, and Sam: the girl that had stolen his heart and weaseled her way into his family. There was nothing that would ever take these females away from him, he wanted them to be the best they could, be as fierce as they desired- yes, these were his girls, his pack, his future and he wasn't going to let anything get in the way.

"Sam," Peter started and waited as Sam looked at him with her undivided attention, "we already are."


	38. Epilogue

_**The Wolf Within**_

 _Summary: Having a pack was nice, having her family together would be nicer but Sydney was well aware that things weren't going to be easy when it came to piecing her life together. This was Beacon Hills after all…_ _Season 6: Peter Hale/OC_

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Teen Wolf, Sydney however is all mine.**

 **Epilogue: many years later…**

"Mom?" Sam was trying to be quiet but at the same time she was desperate to locate her mother in her very own house. She wasn't sure who was home but she knew that someone was; she had heard their heartbeat from outside the front door. There was only one person who she wanted though and that was her mother, Sydney Hale, and no one else.

Not Peter, not Bruin, not even Derek this time. She just wanted her mom, she needed her, she didn't know what to do and she trusted that her mother would be able to help her out of the pickle that she had managed to get herself into.

At eighteen Sam wasn't by any means vying for her parents' attention like a little kid, but tonight was a special circumstance, a very, _very_ special circumstance. She needed her mom, she needed to know what to do about what had just happened to her and she knew that the only person who wouldn't immediately fly off the handle at her was Sydney, who would hopefully help her. Peter, now he was a different story.

Yes he loved her, he trusted her and he would do anything to protect her, but this was something totally unexpected, something that Sam had never anticipated happening to her. She didn't trust that her dad wouldn't get mad at her and yell at her, as she rightfully deserved. She didn't want that though, not now anyway, not until things were taken care of.

"Mom, hello?" Sam hissed as she ventured further into the house. She still had an hour until curfew but this was much more important that worrying about being home on time, in fact, she knew she'd be heading back out of the house, just as soon as she had her mother in tow, and maybe some helpful equipment. "Anyone?"

She wasn't expecting her little sister to step out into the main hallway, but when Bruin wandered into her line of sight, Sam stiffened and stared at the girl that was biologically Sydney and Peter's. Part of her always felt like she wouldn't be able to live up to her parents' standards, especially not with Bruin being such a perfect little child, and especially not after they found out what had happened to her tonight.

No, Sam wasn't perfect anymore, she had ruined her good daughter reputation, and that scared her more than admitting to what she had done.

"Where's mom?" Sam asked, going on the defensive before Bruin could get a word in. She knew that her little sister could hear her heart pounding in her chest, hell she could probably smell the nervousness wafting off her body, but the one good thing about Bruin was that she was often on Sam's side, not ratting her out to their parents, not that she really ever had too.

"She's out with Charlie, at least I think that's where she is." Bruin answered with a shrug. She looked at her older sister, studying her and taking a few steps closer to her. Bruin stepped around her, but came to a stop in front of her, looking her up and down. "Are you okay?"

"I'm uh…yeah I'm fine." Sam lied through her teeth and when Bruin, who was cleverer than anyone had anticipated leveled her with a glare, Sam let out a frustrated sigh, throwing her arms up into the air. "I'm not fine, I need mom, something bad happened tonight."

"But are _you_ okay?" Bruin pressed, hoping that her sister was physically fine. She didn't want Sam to be hurt, she didn't want Sam to be in trouble, she just wanted her sister to be okay.

"I guess…yeah." Sam let out a sigh and Bruin launched herself at her older sister, wrapping her arms around her bigger sister's middle, trying to offer her any sort of reassuring she could through physical touch. "Bruin, it's…"

"It's okay, I still love you." Bruin whispered. "No matter what."

Sam sucked in a shaky breath and hugged her sister back. When Bruin finally pulled away seconds later, she met her little sister's eyes and flickered her irises, showing her exactly what the trouble was. When Bruin met Sam's eyes, she gaped at the sight of alpha red eyes on her sister, whose usual colour of werewolf eyes was yellow.

"Sam." Bruin whimpered. "Dad's not going to be happy."

Sam took her bottom lip in between her teeth and blew out a breath, letting her eyes return to their normal human colour, "I know, that's why I want mom."

"It's kind of cool." Bruin forced a smile onto her face, but Sam could tell it was more for her benefit than anything. She wasn't lying though, Sam could tell that her little sister was actually sort of impressed, she just didn't know how their parents were going to handle the news, but Sam figured her mom would be a little more accepting than her dad, plus her mom would be able to help her break the news to her dad, right?

Oh dear god she hoped that her dad wouldn't be too upset.

"She's not here." Bruin echoed her words from earlier. "But dad is…"

Sam tensed at the sound of approaching footsteps and when her dad stepped around the corner and stopped a few feet in front of her, she froze and felt a shiver run down her spine. Okay, maybe she could bypass him completely, maybe she could simply ask him where her mother was exactly and when she was going to be home, and then be on her way. Peter Hale, as infamous as he was, didn't seem like the kind of father to let his kid get away with murder, literally.

"Your mother's out with that incessant woman she calls her best friend." Peter pointed out and crossed his arms over his chest. He studied Sam in the dimly lit hallway and narrowed his eyes in on her as he took in her scent, which was somehow different that it normally was. "You smell like blood."

"Huh, yeah, about that-"

"Are you hurt?" Peter rushed forward and stepped around her, looking for wounds, searching for the source of the blood. Sam shook her head and spun around on her heel, coming face to face with her dad.

"Not exactly." Sam shied away from his gaze and it wasn't until Peter's hand rested gently on her shoulder that she looked back up at him, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. "When do you think mom's going to be home?"

"I'm not sure. Is there something _I_ can help you with?" Peter drawled and narrowed his eyes in on Sam, even going as far as to bring his vibrant blue irises out. Sam knew that she was supposed to do the same except he'd be expecting golden eyes, when she squeezed her eyes shut though, she prayed that he wouldn't freak out too much.

Sucking in a nervous breath, she slowly opened her eyes and watched as her father took a step backwards, a curious expression etched on his face at the sight of the glowing red eyes of his daughter. Well that was certainly not what he was expecting.

"Dad-" Bruin started but Peter held up his hand to her, silencing her with the action.

"Where did you get those?" Peter asked, eyes glued to Sam as he fought off the urge to growl. Part of him was proud that Sam was now an alpha, sure, but another part of him, a bigger part, wanted to know how the hell she had managed that and what exactly had happened to her? Was she in danger, was the _pack_ in danger?

There was so much more at stake than just Sam's well-being at this point in time, but Sam was his little girl, and she would come first.

As much as he believed in true alphas, he figured that she wasn't that type, which had to mean that she had stolen the alpha spark from someone else.

"You can't freak out!" She exclaimed and planted her hands on her hips. "This is why I wanted mom."

"Well she's not available. Sam, tell me what happened." Peter stated firmly and closed in on her, leaning down to get a better look at her glowing red eyes.

"I was with Raleigh and this guy just attacked us." Sam murmured and tensed as Peter's hand came down on the top of her head. He gently twisted her head to the side and continued to study her eyes, a knowing look taking up residence on his face at the mentioning of Raleigh, who was one of Sam's closest friends. "It was self defense, I swear, I didn't mean to kill him."

"Where's the body now?" Peter asked firmly and let go of her head. "Please tell me you didn't just leave him-"

"Raleigh's there, he said he was going to carry the guy to the preserve. I just left him to get mom, I figured she'd know…she'd know what to do."

"In all honesty, you probably should've gone to Derek, he's the one who's dug the most graves, although I can't fault you for thinking your mother would know what to do, it wouldn't be her first experience with a dead alpha." Peter rolled his eyes and bit back a smile, the thought of his own young wife being an alpha had pleased him, for the most part. "Go to the garage, grab all the shovels you can find. I'll go call Aidan to watch Bruin and then head upstairs to change."

Bruin made a move to protest but before she could get a word out, Peter leveled his youngest with a glare, silencing her with a mere look. Bruin raised her hands in surrender, waiting for Peter to instruct them further.

"Dad, I swear I didn't mean to." Sam pleaded and Peter shook his head.

"I believe you. We'll get this all squared up okay."

Sam's nose scrunched up in confusion, why wasn't her dad freaking out on her? She _had_ killed a man, she had taken someone's life and he seemed more concerned with why Sam was looking for her mother instead of asking Derek for help. What was wrong with him, why wasn't he reacting more like she had been expecting? Why was he being so…so calm?

"Dad-"

"Sam, shovels." Peter cut her off and stepped around her, heading for the stairs so that he could change, just like he had told her he was going to do. "If you can find a pick ax, or even a hatchet, I'd grab that too."

"Dad, what are-"

"I know the perfect spot to bury him but we're going to need to work fast." Peter glanced over his shoulder and leveled a glare on his daughter. "Try calling your mother while I call Aidan, see if she can't meet us at the entrance to the preserve… _alone_."

Sam bit down on her tongue and kept her mouth shut. She wasn't entirely sure what the hell was going through his head and she wasn't completely comfortable with the idea of helping him bury a body that she was responsible for. Then again, what other choice did she have? She had no idea what to do or where to bury the guy, she wasn't sure how Raleigh was faring getting the body to the preserve to start with. All she knew was that she was going to take what she could get and right now that was an eerily calm offer of help from her very own father.

As soon as he was no longer within sight, Sam produced her cell phone from her pocket, shot off a quick text to Raleigh letting him know that she was bringing reinforcements and then called her mother, praying to god she didn't sound as freaked out as she was.

Bruin shot her a reassuring smile and disappeared into the kitchen where she would wait until Aidan showed up to look after her. She would've argued that she didn't need a babysitter but the unsettling look on her dad's face had suggested maybe she should just accept it. There was no point in fighting, there were bigger things to worry about and Bruin just prayed that Sam would be okay.

 _ **XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX**_

Peter had surprised himself by being so calm, but then again, Sam was his daughter. Biological or not, he had vowed a long time ago to protect her at all costs and the current predicament that she had gotten herself into wasn't something he was unfamiliar with. His own wife had ended the lives of a couple of people, his nephew had been responsible for a couple of his own, but Peter knew that he was the least innocent of them all. His total number of kills was bigger than both Sydney and Derek's combined, one of the victims had been his own family, ripped in half before she had even known who had attacked her.

He had known, the second Sam confessed to what she had done, that he didn't have a solid leg to stand on. With that in mind, he had instructed her on what to do, which is precisely why he was now knee deep in a giant hole in the forest floor next to Raleigh: Sam's best friend.

The boy was digging alongside Peter while Sam worked away on wrapping the body of the fallen alpha, if only to stifle the putrid stench of death. What the hell had she gotten herself into and why was Peter helping her without pressing her for more details, or being a little more upset with her for what she had done?

When the hole was about halfway dug, he paused and listened to the fast approaching footsteps. Peter glanced upwards and caught sight of Sydney running right for them. She slowed down as she closed in on them and wandered over towards Sam, who was using duct tape to secure the wrapping around the body.

"What the hell happened?" Sydney asked and suddenly her red eyes were boring in on Peter, who merely scoffed at the silent accusation.

" _She_ did this all on her own." Peter countered calmly and waved a hand in Sam's direction.

"What?" Sydney gaped at him and looked back towards Sam, who was clearly avoiding Sydney's gaze like the plague. "Sam, what did you-"

"He attacked us." Raleigh spoke up and paused in his digging. "This guy came out of nowhere and just went after us. He was an alpha, _I_ didn't think we stood a chance but Sam, she just…she was amazing."

"The female of the species is more deadly than the male." Peter muttered, a hint of smugness to his tone, and carried on digging.

Sydney cocked her head to the side and dropped down into a crouch next to her daughter. She set a hand on the blonde teenager's shoulder and drew Sam's gaze towards hers.

"Is that true?" Sydney asked in a hushed whisper.

"Yeah." Sam sighed in response.

"And you're okay with this?" Sydney directed her question in Peter's direction.

"You and I don't really have the right to reprimand her considering our pasts." Peter pointed out and drove the end of his shovel into the ground. "I'm not happy about it but what's done is done. At this point, I'm more concerned about how we're going to explain her new alpha status to the rest of the packs."

Sydney nodded her understanding and slipped an arm around Sam's shoulders, feeling the girl collapse against her. Sydney held on to her and peered over at Peter, who was focused right back on digging, Raleigh matching his every move without skipping a beat.

"Mom, I swear, I didn't mean to." Sam murmured and Sydney ran her hand over Sam's back, trying to reassure her that it was okay, it would _be_ okay.

"We could tell them the truth." Sydney said with a sigh and waited for anyone to object. When no one did, she shook her head.

"I'm sorry." Sam whimpered. "I'm sorry that my eyes are different now."

"Different but still beautiful." Peter stated without missing a beat. Sydney felt her lips pulling upwards into a smile and when she peered back over at Peter, he was still digging.

It wasn't ideal that her little girl had ended up taking the life of an alpha and Sydney knew that it wouldn't come without consequences, but for that minute, that very second, she'd do whatever she could to let Sam know that she wasn't going to be loved any less.

Peter caught Sydney's gaze and brought out his own glowing blue irises, Sydney countering with her red eyes, both of them knowing what colour her eyes had been prior to her becoming an alpha.

Peter, as usual, was right. Neither one of them really had anything they could say to her. They'd just have to figure it out as they went because nothing was going to hurt their little girl, alpha or not, and Sydney knew that this was only the calm before the storm.

Killing an alpha never went unnoticed, but Sam had Sydney and Peter to protect her, no one, not a soul, was going to get anywhere near her.

 ** _XxxxxxXxxxxxXxxxxxX_**

 ** _That's it, that's all there is...I hope you guys enjoyed Peter and Sydney's journey, I put a lot of effort into it and the response was great! Thank you everyone who read, reviewed, favourited and alerted!_**


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